Meet Lauren Underwood, the youngest woman running for Congress in 2018

31-year-old Lauren Underwood beat six middle-aged white men on Tuesday to win the Democratic Primary in the 14th District of Illinois.

The district is strongly Republican, predominantly white and covers Chicago’s outer-ring suburbs and exurbs. She is the first woman to receive her party’s nomination in the district’s history.

She faces Representative Randy Hultgren, who is seeking a fifth term in November. Hultgren ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican primary. According to DailyKos Elections, Hultgren has won re-election by comfortable margins since redistricting in 2011. President Trump only won the district by about four percentage points in 2016.

Underwood is the youngest Black woman running for Congress in 2018. Should she win the 2018 general mid-term elections in November, she will be the first woman and 5th Democrat to win the seat in the district’s 145-year history.

About Lauren Underwood

Underwood is a registered nurse. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and helped implement President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. She currently works as the Senior Director of Strategy & Regulatory Affairs at Next Level Health in Illinois.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the University of Michigan, as well as two Master’s degrees in Nursing /Public Health Nursing & Health Policy from Johns Hopkins University.

She suffers from a lifetime heart disease known as supraventricular tachycardia. As such, she intimately understands the health care struggles for those with preexisting conditions. She is a champion for affordable health care solutions.

She shares, “[I am] committed to fighting for families and believe that strong jobs, smart investments, and access to affordable health care will put our region back on track”.