14th Congressional District Forum: Lauren Underwood


In the Republican-leaning 14th Congressional District, a new face in the Democratic Party is causing what some are a calling a “toss-up” in the upcoming midterm elections.

U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Plano) has represented the district since 2010 and is seeking re-election, but Democratic challenger Lauren Underwood (D-Naperville), a 32-year-old registered nurse, is just four points behind in the latest poll conducted by Siena College/The New York Times.

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Hultgren was not able to participate in this forum, according to his campaign manager.

Candidates, in ballot order:

Randy Hultgren graduated from Bethel College in 1998 and received a law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1993. He first entered the political sphere in 1994, when elected to the DuPage County Board and County Forest Preserve Board. Hultgren was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1999, and later, the Illinois State Senate in 2007. In 2010, Hultgren defeated Democrat Bill Foster. Hultgren is co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a bipartisan group charged with advocating for international human rights.

Lauren Underwood graduated from the University of Michagn Ann Abor in 2008, and received her Master’s in Nursing and Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2008. A registered nurse, Underwood previously served as senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Obama Administration from 2014-2017. During her time there, she helped implement the Affordable Care Act and hospital preparedness for health emergencies, including Zika and Ebola.

The 14th Congressional District: Containing a mix of suburban and rural areas, the district borders Wisconsin and wraps around Chicago’s collar communities, including parts of DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry and Will counties, and all or parts of Antioch, Woodstock, Batavia, Crystal Lake, Naperville and Yorkville.  


Related stories:

6th Congressional District Forum: Sean Casten, Peter Roskam

2018 General Election: US House of Representatives

Lauren Underwood: Candidate for Congress, 14th District


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