Lauren Underwood

In the 2024 House race for IL-14, Lauren Underwood (D) won with 55.1% of the vote, defeating James T. "Jim" Marter (R) who received 44.9%. 2 additional candidates split the remaining vote. Lauren Underwood's 10.2-point lead over the runner-up showed solid but not overwhelming support.

As the incumbent, Lauren Underwood benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2024 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket.

In the 2022 House race for IL-14, Lauren Underwood (D) won with 54.2% of the vote, defeating Scott R. Gryder (R) who received 45.8%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. Lauren Underwood's 8.3-point lead over the runner-up showed solid but not overwhelming support.

As the incumbent, Lauren Underwood benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. As a Democrat, Lauren Underwood won despite the historical midterm penalty against the president's party (Democrat Biden was in office). This seat will likely stay on party watch lists as potentially competitive in future cycles.

In the 2020 House race for IL-14, Lauren Underwood (D) won with 50.7% of the vote, defeating James D. Oberweis (R) who received 49.3%. A third candidate also appeared on the ballot. The 1.3-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

As the incumbent, Lauren Underwood benefited from name recognition, established constituent services, and the roughly 2-3 point advantage that sitting members typically enjoy. The 2020 presidential election drove higher voter turnout, which can help or hurt down-ballot candidates depending on the top of the ticket. Given the narrow margin, this seat is likely to remain competitive and attract heavy investment in the next cycle.

In the 2018 House race for IL-14, Lauren Underwood (D) defeated Randall M. \randy\ Hultgren (R) 52.5% to 47.5%. Lauren Underwood received 156,035 votes compared to 141,164 for Randall M. \randy\ Hultgren, a 5.0-point margin that indicates a genuinely contested race.

This race flipped the seat from Republican to Democrat. Randy Hultgren (R) held the seat previously but either retired or lost in a primary. Party flips at the seat level are relatively rare and often signal shifting district dynamics. As a Democrat, Lauren Underwood benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Republican in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.