Illinois' 14th District was by far the closest congressional race in the state last cycle and once again remains tight this year.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood, a nurse from Naperville, was first elected in 2018, defeating longtime GOP Rep. Randy Hultgren in a long shot pick-up of what was a Republican stronghold for decades, as Democrats took control of the U.S. House. That victory made Underwood the first African American, the first woman and the first Millennial to ever represent the majority-white district.
In 2020, Republicans were eager to try and take back the district. Underwood retained her seat over then-state Sen. Jim Oberweis by a razor-thin margin of just over 5,300 votes. Following the 2020 U.S. Census, the boundaries of the district changed but it remains a suburban and exurban battleground.
This cycle, Underwood faces Republican nominee Scott Gryder, of Oswego, who defeated four other candidates in the GOP primary.
Gryder is an attorney who currently serves as the chairman of the Kendall County Board, first elected to the Board in 2012. The race has continued to garner national attention, particularly as the parties continue to test whether suburban areas will continue to trend Democratic or shift back to the GOP with congressional control hanging in the balance.
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