Underwood wins reelection bid to 14th Congressional District: AP calls race

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, will retain her seat in Illinois’ 14th Congressional District, according to The Associated Press, which called the race for Underwood in the early-morning hours Wednesday.

Underwood had 178,878 votes, or 54.8%, compared with Republican challenger James Marter, R-Oswego, who had 147,491 votes, or 45.2%, according to unofficial results.

Vote tallies aren’t certified for two weeks.

The district includes parts of DeKalb, Kendall and Will counties, including towns such as Yorkville, Oswego, Plano, Plainfield, Aurora, Joliet and Naperville.

Following the results, Underwood released a statement celebrating the diversity of the seven counties comprising the district: “We are big and diverse. We are farmers and scientists. We are investors and innovators. We are students and educators. We are proud of working hard. And we want a bright future for our kids. Despite all of our differences, we are a hopeful community. And together we will move forward with a commitment to freedom and justice for all.”

A central part of Underwood’s platform focused on securing unrestricted reproductive health care services, including abortion care and IVF, in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Underwood campaigned on lowering out-of-pocket health care costs, including protecting and expanding Social Security and Medicare. She highlighted legislation that she supported, including capping insulin prices for seniors and allowing Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.

Addressing the rising costs of housing, Underwood campaigned for down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers in the form of grants and tax credits.

Responding to Republican criticisms of the Democrats’ handling of the border, Underwood campaigned on balancing improved border security while improving pathways to citizenship for immigrants who have lived most of their lives in the U.S.

Following the results, Marter expressed disappointment that his election did not follow the good night Republicans saw nationally.

“We had hoped to bring representation back to the 14th District,” Marter said. “With several media sources calling the race, it appears Congresswoman Underwood will win.”