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Candidates › IL-14 race › 2025–2026
Lauren Underwood
D Democratic nominee for U.S. House, IL-14
Representative since 2019
Other accounts (2)
The same platforms’ other accounts, such as a congressional office’s or an earlier campaign’s.
- On the ballot
- On the general election ballotNov 3, 2026 · Illinois US House 14
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Lowering Healthcare Costs
- Reproductive Freedom
- Gun Violence
- Acting On Climate Change
- Immigration & Border Security
- In Congress
- Representative since 2019 · votes with their party 98% of the time. See the record · Office phone 202-225-2976
- Money
- $2.8M raised, $2.7M spent, $1.2M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 16% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 48% from Illinois · largest committee giver AMERICAN NURSES ASSOCIATION PAC, $10K
- Outside groups
- $60.6K supporting Underwood
- Sponsored most in
- Health, Armed Forces and National Security, Taxation
7 priorities from underwoodforcongress.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
The Issues That Matter Most ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/issues at this heading)
LAUREN’S WORK: ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/healthcare-costs at this heading)
As part of her work to eliminate cost barriers to health care, Lauren wrote the Health Care Affordability Act with her constituents top of mind. Signed into law as part of the American Rescue Plan, and later extended through the Inflation Reduction Act, the Health Care Affordability Act limits the cost of health care coverage for people who choose Marketplace plans to eight and a half percent or less of their income. This law has proven to be so popular, that over 16 million Americans signed up for health care coverage in 2022, with 4 in 5 enrollees finding a plan for $10 or less per month.
Recognizing the strain of the pandemic on young people, Lauren secured a 700% increase in school-based mental health care. Additionally, Lauren brought over $1M to IL-14 colleges to train school-based mental health providers.
Lauren responded to skyrocketing insulin prices with the bipartisan Lower Insulin Costs Now Act. The legislation was signed into law by President Trump in 2019, to make lower-cost, generic insulin available more quickly. Now, insulin costs are capped at $35/month for seniors on Medicare.
As part of her work to address maternal mortality, Lauren wrote the Protecting Moms Who Served Act. This legislation is one of several Momnibus bills to eliminate preventable maternal mortality and advance birth equity across the United States. The Protecting Moms Who Served Act was signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.
As a registered nurse, public health expert, a woman with a pre-existing heart condition, Lauren’s number one priority in Congress is ensuring access to high-quality, affordable, health care for our families and eliminating cost barriers to care.
Learn More ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/healthcare-costs at this heading)
Lauren continues to advance legislation in order to:
- Expand the mental health workforce
- Support rural health care systems
- End our nation’s maternal health crisis
- Modernize our public health data infrastructure
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/healthcare-costs
Women deserve to make their own health choices. Lauren supports women’s rights to the full range of reproductive health services, without restrictions. This includes access to safe, legal, and affordable abortions.
Donald Trump’s Project 2025 would criminalize abortions – calling for a nationwide abortion ban, plus dangerous bans on contraception and fertility services like IVF. We must defeat these extremist agendas.
LAUREN’S WORK: ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/reproductive-freedom at this heading)
- With abortion restrictions advancing across the country, Lauren understands the urgency of our fight for reproductive freedom. That’s why Lauren voted for key legislation to codify Roe and protect our access to contraception.
- Lauren supports legislation to ensure nationwide access to fertility services like IVF is protected. Services like IVF should be affordable and covered by health plans.
- Lauren believes that providers should not be faced with criminal prosecution and jail time for doing their jobs and helping patients and families.
- Lauren co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus and wrote the Momnibus Act of 2022, a collection of 13 bills to address every driver of maternal mortality, morbidity, and disparities in the United States. 80% of Maternal Deaths are preventable – women and families deserve to live to raise their children.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/reproductive-freedom
No child should fear for their life at school. No worker should fear a mass shooting at their job. Weapons of war don’t belong in our neighborhoods. Gun violence prevention is a public health issue, and Lauren believes that Congress must respond accordingly with data-driven, evidence-based policies.
Progress ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/gun-violence at this heading)
As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Lauren made addressing the veteran suicide crisis a top priority. More than 7,300 veterans, servicemembers, reservists, and members of the National Guard die by suicide each year.
To address the veterans suicide crisis, Lauren wrote the Veterans Care Quality Transparency Act to ensure high quality mental health and suicide prevention care for veterans. This bipartisan legislation was signed into law by President Trump in October 2020.
Lauren secured $25 million to study gun violence as a public health issue, the first federal research into gun violence in more than two decades.
Lauren supported House passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act and the Enhanced Background Checks Act to establish universal background checks for all gun sales and close loopholes that make it easy for criminals to buy guns. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, she is committed to getting gun safety legislation signed into law.
Learn More ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/gun-violence at this heading)
Lauren continues to advance legislation to prevent suicide, especially among vulnerable populations.
- Veterans
- Children
- Adolescence
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/gun-violence
Progress ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/climate-change at this heading)
Lauren believes we must achieve a 100% clean energy economy by 2050. That’s why she supported the Inflation Reduction Act, the single largest climate investment in U.S. history! This new law accelerates our transition to a clean energy economy and makes it more affordable for families to make energy efficiency updates to their homes.
In the face of the Trump Administration’s attacks on science, Lauren passed bipartisan legislation that would prevent federal agencies like USDA from censoring public information about climate change.
Local Wins ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/climate-change at this heading)
- $1,280,000 for Pace Electric Bus in Plainfield, IL
- This bus will be part of the larger Pace system and will be used in the I-55 service – for Plainfield and other southwest suburbs.
- $975,000 for the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge/Nippersink Creek Restoration Project
- This project is to help revive the nearly 100 acres wetlands and almost 9,00 feet of headwater streams.
Learn More ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/climate-change at this heading)
Lauren continues to advance legislation in order to:
- Address the harmful effects of climate change
- Empower farmers and producers to fight the climate crisis
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/climate-change
- $1,280,000 for Pace Electric Bus in Plainfield, IL
Lauren regularly travels to the U.S.-Mexico border to provide oversight of the unacceptable humanitarian crisis. She strongly supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship.
During her first term in Congress, Lauren served as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security. In May 2024, Lauren was named Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.
Since America’s founding, immigrants have been vital to our cultural vibrancy and economic success. Our immigration system must honor and recognize the value and dignity of all of our immigrant communities.
LAUREN’S WORK: ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/immigration-border-security at this heading)
- As an Appropriator, Lauren has proudly worked with colleagues across the aisle to advance necessary federal funding to secure the border.
- Lauren has supported legislation to protect and provide a pathway to citizenship for immigrants who spent most of their lives in the United States
- Lauren voted for bipartisan immigration legislation that modernizes and streamlines our nation’s temporary agricultural program to ensure farmers and businesses across northern Illinois have access to the experienced workers they need so that food prices will not continue to rise.
- Lauren voted for the American Dream and Promise Act to protect Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) holders who have lived much of their lives in the United States and have made this country their home.
- With bipartisan support, Lauren passed legislation to prevent children from dying in federal custody along the U.S.-Mexico border. This was signed into law by President Trump in 2019.
- Lauren voted in favor of the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, bipartisan immigration legislation that modernizes and streamlines our nation’s temporary agricultural workers program to ensure local businesses have access to the experienced workers they need without the red tape and extreme financial burden of the current system.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/immigration-border-security
Lauren is committed to honoring our veterans’ service and sacrifice by ensuring they have access to the high quality care and benefits they have earned.
Progress ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/our-veterans at this heading)
Lauren is taking action to support women veterans:
- Lauren wrote the bipartisan Protecting Moms Who Served Act to improve maternal health care for veterans. This legislation was signed into law by President Biden in November 2021.
- Recognizing that women are the fastest growing group of veterans in the United States, Lauren wrote the Caring for Our Women Veterans Act. This legislation was signed into law by President Trump in January 2021.
Lauren is taking action to expand veterans access to health care:
- Lauren wrote the VA Nurse and Physician Assistant RAISE Act to reduce the workforce shortage within the VA. This legislation was signed into law by President Biden in March 2022.
Lauren is taking action to strengthen veterans mental health and suicide prevention programs:
- To reduce veteran suicide, Lauren’s bipartisan Veterans’ Care Quality Transparency Act received unanimous support in the house and senate. It was signed into law by President Trump in October 2020.
Lauren is taking action to support student veterans:
- Lauren wrote the Protecting Student Veterans Act to prevent student veterans from being academically or financially penalized due to their ongoing military service. This legislation was signed into law by President Biden in December 2022.
- The Veterans Rapid Retraining Assistance Program Restoration and Recovery Act will restore important education benefits to veterans who were ripped off by predatory institutions. This legislation was signed into law by President Biden in June 2022.
Learn More ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/our-veterans at this heading)
Lauren voted for the following new programs to serve our veterans community.
- 9-8-8 Hotline
- The historic Honoring Our Pact Act
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/our-veterans
Congresswoman Underwood is focused on lowering out of pocket costs for Northern Illinois families while continuing to support a strong economic recovery. She has advanced legislative proposals to deliver tax relief for families, support our rural economy, and deliver strategic infrastructure investments like rural broadband, improved public transit and clean energy across IL-14.
LAUREN’S WORK: ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/our-economy at this heading)
- Lauren’s legislation, the Health Care Affordability Act, limits the cost of health care coverage for people who choose Marketplace plans to eight and a half percent or less of their income. After it was signed into law by the Biden/Harris administration, the number of uninsured Americans hit an all-time low, and now healthcare is more affordable for millions.
- Lauren responded to skyrocketing insulin prices with the bipartisan Lower Insulin Costs Now Act. The legislation was signed into law by President Trump in 2019, to make lower-cost, generic insulin available more quickly.
- In 2022, Lauren was proud to vote for the Inflation Reduction Act – this law will help to lower the deficit by $160 billion through the $35 per month cap on the cost of insulin for seniors, and through provisions finally allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription savings.
- Lauren supports legislation to increase affordable housing in our community, offer financial incentives and downpayment assistance to purchase homes, and reform the way property taxes are deducted from federal taxes.
- Lauren voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (2021), which is supporting numerous job-creating projects across IL-14, including $90M to clean up Ottawa’s Superfund Site.
Local Wins ↗ (opens underwoodforcongress.com/our-economy at this heading)
- $1.5M for NIU Microchip Lab
- This money will be used to modernize the space at the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology in DeKalb.
- $974,843 for Huntley Shops on Main
- This money provides federal funding to entrepreneurs which will create an increase in local jobs.
- $343,000 for the expansion of the Joliet Junior College Entrepreneurship Center
- $575,000 for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago Childcare Network
Lauren has also requested funding for the following projects:
- $850,000 for the Joliet Youth Innovation Center.
- $950,000 for Lewis University semiconductor manufacturing.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · underwoodforcongress.com/our-economy