Who's running in Illinois's 14th congressional district
2 candidates are on the ballot. Below is what each one says they stand for, what they have actually done in office or in public life, and the arguments published for and against them — each quoted from a named source rather than summarised by us.
2 candidates · ballot order · Lauren Underwood currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Lowering health care costs and expanding coverage, drawing on her career as a nurse.
Maternal health, the subject of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus she has championed.
Federal appropriations directed at the district; she says she has brought back $1.7 billion.
Opposing Republican spending cuts, which she has challenged in Appropriations Committee markups.
Environmental protection; she is endorsed by the Sierra Club.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
U.S. Representative for the 14th District since January 2019; re-elected in 2024 with 55.1%, beating James Marter 55.9% to 44.1%.
Registered nurse; served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services before running for Congress.
Was the youngest Black woman elected to Congress when first elected.
Member of the House Appropriations Committee.
Says she has held more than 85 town halls since taking office in 2019 and has passed 19 bills into law.
Arguments in favor
The leader of House Democrats endorsed her re-election, which her campaign presents as evidence that the party's leadership counts her among its most effective members.
— House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Environmental and Jewish community organisations endorsed her re-election.
— Sierra Club, Jewish Democratic Council of America and the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs
Arguments against
Her Republican opponent says she abstained on an antisemitism resolution, calling it a cowardly vote, and accuses her of lying about her record for years.
— James Marter, her Republican opponent
The same opponent describes her as about as radical a socialist Democrat as one can get, and argues that the Democratic policies she supports have failed the exurban families in the district.
— James Marter's campaign, quoted by the Kendall County Times
What we couldn’t verify
The National Republican Congressional Committee page criticising her, including a claim that she had presented herself as a practising nurse, dates from 2019 and is not treated here as current; the claim itself is contested and is recorded rather than presented as fact.
How she voted on the antisemitism resolution Marter refers to was not independently verified; it is reported here as his characterisation.
Whether she will instead run for the U.S. Senate seat Dick Durbin is vacating was raised in 2025 reporting; she is on the November House ballot.
Cutting all non-defence, non-veterans discretionary spending back to pre-COVID levels, then moving to zero-based budgeting.
A balanced budget constitutional amendment with a line-item veto on budget bills.
Free-market trade policy, arguing government should not pick industry winners.
Opposition to abortion.
Reducing what he calls federal government overreach.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Self-employed software consultant; former Oswego library board member.
Republican nominee for this district in 2024, losing to Lauren Underwood 44.1% to 55.9%.
Sought the Republican nomination in this district in 2020 and 2022 and ran for federal office three other times; 2026 is his sixth federal campaign.
Won the March 17, 2026 Republican primary.
Has held campaign town halls in small towns across the district, including Hinckley in May 2026.
Arguments in favor
His campaign presents him as the candidate who turns up in the district's small towns, running open town halls on health care and federal spending rather than relying on advertising.
— The Marter campaign, reported by Shaw Local
Arguments against
A local site that tracks right-wing politics in the area has run repeated posts calling him a conspiracy theorist, a far-right extremist and a Christian nationalist, and mocking his record of losing campaigns.
— The Will County Clown Car, a partisan local site, as reported by Chronicle Media
What we couldn’t verify
The site making that criticism is an openly partisan blog rather than a news outlet; it is included because it is named and because an established outlet reported it, not as independent reporting.
No criticism of Marter from the Underwood campaign, from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, or from his own primary opponent could be retrieved; the Daily Herald's report on the Republican primary could not be accessed.
His fundraising was not established from sources read.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
Illinois held its primary on March 17, 2026. Democratic incumbent Lauren Underwood is seeking a fifth term; James Marter won the Republican nomination for the second cycle running, having been the party's nominee against her in 2024. The district covers the western exurbs of Chicago, including parts of Aurora, Naperville, Joliet, DeKalb and Ottawa. Roster confirmed against Ballotpedia, Shaw Local and Daily Herald reporting.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Illinois ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Illinois State Board of Elections.