Illinois — 14th District

Lauren Underwood

Supports expanding healthcare and protecting ACA

Underwood makes lowering healthcare costs and expanding access her top priority, leveraging her background as a registered nurse and former HHS senior advisor. She advocates eliminating financial barriers to medical care and protecting protections for pre-existing conditions.

• Prioritizes lowering out-of-pocket medical costs and healthcare expenses.
• Supports protecting and expanding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
• Focuses on public health solutions informed by her nursing and health policy background.

“As a registered nurse, public health expert, and 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.”

James Marter

Supports repealing ACA and healthcare deregulation

Marter opposes the Affordable Care Act, calling it unconstitutional and responsible for higher insurance costs and reduced choices. He advocates full repeal and opposes government-mandated health policies.

• Calls for complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
• Opposes federal health mandates and government-managed care.
• Advocates market-based health solutions to lower costs and increase choices.

“The Affordable Care Act gave us less choice and dramatically higher prices. We need to repeal it.”

“Repeal Obamacare, or as I know it, the “Un-Affordable Care Act”. I won’t rest until repealed. It is “Unconstitutional” on multiple fronts!”

Lauren Underwood

Supports full reproductive freedom and abortion access

Underwood supports unrestricted access to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare services, including safe and legal abortion. She opposes federal restrictions on women's healthcare options.

• Supports codifying abortion access and protecting reproductive rights.
• Opposes restrictions or bans on reproductive health services.
• Promotes access to safe, legal, and affordable family planning care.

“Lauren supports women’s rights to the full range of reproductive health services, without restrictions. This includes access to safe, legal, and affordable abortions.”

James Marter

Opposes abortion and supports defunding Planned Parenthood

Marter is strongly pro-life and believes in legal protections for unborn children. He advocates permanently ending federal grants and taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.

• Identifies as pro-life and supports legal protection for unborn children.
• Pledges to permanently defund Planned Parenthood.
• Promises to sponsor and support federal anti-abortion legislation.

“I am pro-life. We should not be funding Planned Parenthood and we should protect innocent children in the womb.”

Lauren Underwood

Supports comprehensive reform and legal pathways

Underwood views immigrants as vital to the nation's culture and economy and supports comprehensive immigration reform. She backs a clean Dream Act to provide DACA recipients with a direct pathway to citizenship and voted against strict Republican border enforcement measures like the Laken Riley Act and SAVE Act.

• Supports a clean Dream Act providing citizenship pathways for DACA recipients.
• Advocates comprehensive immigration reform that respects human dignity.
• Voted against the Laken Riley Act (S. 5), the SAVE Act (H.R. 22), and the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2).

“Immigrants have been vital to the cultural fabric and economic success of America since our nation's founding.”

“We must take immediate action to provide all DACA recipients a pathway to citizenship through a clean Dream Act.”

James Marter

Supports strict border enforcement and ending amnesty

Marter calls for strict enforcement of current immigration laws, physical border wall construction, and an end to sanctuary cities. He opposes DACA, legal amnesty, chain migration, and birthright citizenship.

• Demands border wall completion and enforcement of existing laws.
• Opposes DACA, amnesty programs, chain migration, and birthright citizenship.
• Calls for ending sanctuary city protections.

“We need to enforce existing law, secure the border and end harmful practices putting us at risk.”

“Enforce existing Immigration law. Build the wall. No DACA & No Amnesty. End Chain migration & birthright citizenship. End Sanctuary Cities.”

Lauren Underwood

Supports gun control and universal background checks

Underwood views gun violence as a critical public health emergency and advocates evidence-based gun control measures. She supports universal background checks, restrictions on sales to individuals under restraining orders, and repealing the Dickey Amendment to enable federal gun violence research.

• Supports universal background checks across all firearms sales, including private and online sales.
• Advocates keeping assault weapons and 'weapons of war' out of communities.
• Supports repealing the Dickey Amendment to allow federal research into gun violence.

“We have a moral obligation to address the gun violence epidemic that is threatening communities across our country.”

“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.”

James Marter

Supports gun rights and opposes restrictions

Marter strongly backs Second Amendment rights and opposes restrictions on firearm ownership. He has earned endorsements and high ratings from gun owner organizations including the NRA and ISRA.

• Firmly supports constitutional gun ownership rights without infringement.
• Opposes new federal firearm restrictions or gun control legislation.
• Holds 100% candidate ratings from gun rights advocacy groups.

“I firmly support your Second Amendment rights”

“I firmly support the right to bear arms as unequivocally stated in the Bill of Rights: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.””

Lauren Underwood

Supports targeted tax relief and middle-class investments

Underwood supports federal investments in infrastructure, public health, and middle-class economic relief. She voted for the bipartisan Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 and the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 while opposing Republican spending cuts in H.R. 2811 and H.R. 1.

• Voted Yea on the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (H.R. 3746) to avoid debt default.
• Voted Yea on the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 (H.R. 7024).
• Voted Nay on Republican debt ceiling cuts (H.R. 2811) and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1).

James Marter

Supports spending cuts and flat tax implementation

Marter prioritizes shrinking federal spending, passing a balanced budget amendment, and cutting taxes to stimulate economic growth. He proposes establishing a 10% flat income tax and repealing the estate tax.

• Advocates a Balanced Budget Amendment to force federal spending reductions.
• Proposes replacing current tax rates with a 10% flat tax and repealing the estate tax.
• Focuses on reducing government regulations and agency overhead.

“In Congress, I will be relentless in my efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.”

“Working people and families should pay less in taxes. It’s one way to unleash the economy.”

Lauren Underwood

Supports renewable energy and EPA oversight

Underwood recognizes human-caused climate change as an existential threat and national security risk. She advocates funding renewable energy development, public transit, and robust enforcement of environmental laws by the EPA.

• Supports expanded federal investment in renewable energy and public transit.
• Advocates full funding and staffing for the Environmental Protection Agency.
• Voted Nay on the Lower Energy Costs Act (H.R. 1) that expanded fossil fuel leasing.

“Climate scientists nearly unanimously agree that the Earth’s temperature increases have been driven by excess greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans.”

James Marter

Supports traditional energy development and domestic production

Marter advocates returning to domestic energy independence by expanding traditional energy production. He supports constructing the Keystone XL pipeline and tapping natural gas and oil reserves across the US and Alaska.

• Demands a return to full domestic energy independence.
• Supports constructing the Keystone XL pipeline.
• Advocates oil and gas extraction across lower 48 states and Alaska.

“We need to return to energy independence which is crucial to national security.”

Lauren Underwood

Supports federal funding for public schools and college affordability

Underwood believes every child deserves quality public education and supports federal funding to make higher education affordable. She backs increased Pell grants, subsidized student loans, and maintaining the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

• Advocates continued federal investments in public elementary and secondary education.
• Supports increasing funding for Pell grants and subsidized student loans.
• Defends the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

“I believe that every child deserves a high quality public education.”

James Marter

Supports dismantling Department of Education and ending federal standards

Marter advocates reducing or eliminating federal involvement in education. He calls for ending Common Core, abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, and restoring education authority strictly to state and local levels.

• Calls for eliminating the federal Department of Education.
• Demands an end to federal participation in Common Core standards.
• Opposes political activism and gender narratives in school curricula.

“The federal government has failed with Common Core and the Department of Education. Its role in education must be reduced.”