Lauren Underwood
Bio | Underwood was born in Ohio before moving to Illinois at the age of 3. She attended the University of Michigan and then John Hopkins university, earning multiple degrees in healthcare. |
Status and Position | Current US House of Representatives of Illinois |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Democrat, Illinois |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 House of Representatives Election IL-14 | IL-14 | Yes | Running | 47.0% |
Campaign Financing | Underwood's campaign relies mostly on individual contributions. Underwood has vote in favor of H.R. 1 which increases transparency at the expense of monetary influence in elections. |
Voting Rights | Underwood is a staunch advocate of every Americans' right to vote. That is why she voted in favor of H.R. 4 which helped expand the capability of people to vote. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | For | Supports healthcare for all Underwood has vowed to fight for those with pre-existing conditions. She does not believe in repealing the Affordable Care Act and wants to expand coverage and reduce healthcare costs. |
| Socialized Healthcare | For | Advocates for socialized healthcare |
| Private Healthcare | Against | Underwood would like to see lower costs in healthcare which does not favor private healthcare. |
| LGBT Rights | For | Promotes LGBT rights Underwood has been a staunch supporter of the LGBT community. She has been endorsed by the Human RIghts Campaign, the biggest LGBTQ civil rights organization. |
| Taxes | For | In favor of taxation Underwood thinks that tax breaks will only aid corporate interest while further hurting the average American. In addition, the congresswoman advocates for an income tax increase for those in the highest bracket. |
| Flat Tax Rate | Against | Does not advocate for a flat tax rate Underwood thinks that tax breaks will only aid corporate interest while further hurting the average American. In addition, the congresswoman advocates for an income tax increase for those in the highest bracket. |
| Abortion | For | She is pro-choice. Underwood marched alongside protestors in Chicago to advocate for reproductive rights. She vows to fight anti-abortion legislation in Congress. |
| Gun Control | For | Supports regulations on guns Underwood is an advocate of enacting gun control legislation. She voted in favor of H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which requires comprehensive background checks for gun owners. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | Underwood has not taken an explicit stance on the issue. Underwood is an advocate of enacting gun control legislation. She voted in favor of H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act, which requires comprehensive background checks for gun owners. |
| Government Interference | For | Underwood advocates for government interference, for the most part. |
| Planned Parenthood | For | Underwood advocates for government funding of Planned Parenthood and has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. |
| Welfare | For | Underwood supports welfare. Underwood wants to expand budget allocation for welfare programs. She has been endorsed by the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare. |
| Welfare | Unknown | Underwood has no explicit stance on this issue. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | The congresswoman has no clear stance on the death penalty. N/A |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | She has not taken an explicit stance on mandatory prison sentences. |
| Military Spending | For | Advocates for increased defense spending |
| War on Terrorism | Against | Underwood opposes the War on Terrorism because of the possibility of conflict escalation. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | For | Advocates for international interaction Underwood believes that her district especially benefits from foreign policy. She mentions the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement as benefitting her constituents. |
| United Nations power | Unknown | Underwood has not taken an explicit stance on the UN. |
| Nationalism | Against | She has spoken out against nationalism arising on the far-right. |
| Free Markets | Against | Does not advocate for completely free markets Underwood does not support the complete privatization of industries such as the healthcare system. She argues that a completely free market would be unable to address issues that would negatively impact consumers such as high costs. |
| Brexit | Against | Underwood does not support Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | For | Advocates for affirmative action |
| Government Spending | For | Underwood sees spending, specifically in the form of local infrastructure investment, as a means of spurring economic growth. |
| Charter Schools | Unknown | No explicit stance on charter schools |
| Common Core | For | Supports Common Core Underwood faces opponents that want to end the imposition of top-down national standards on education. She has not voiced her support for her state rejecting Common Core standards. |
| Clean Energy | For | Advocates for clean energy Underwood says the science does not lie about climate change. As such, the congresswoman believes we must take action by investing in renewable energy and putting a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. She voted in favor of H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act as well as other legislation that focuses on establishing a more sustainable economy. |
| Religious Freedom | Against | Underwood does not necessarily advocate for religious freedom. In benefitting the LGBT community, the congresswoman supports limiting business' right to refuse service to individuals based on their religious beliefs. As such, Underwood holds other issues as a higher priority. |
| Separation of Church and State | For | Underwood supports the separation of church and state. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | Underwood has not made an explicit statement on this point and she is not a co-sponsor of H.R. 40, an act to create a commission to study reparations. |
| Border Control | Against | Underwood opposes increased border security, The congresswoman believes that the construction of a wall along the border would be a misuse of resources. Instead, she wants to combat the current xenophobic rhetoric surrounding immigration policy. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | Underwood does not have a position on passenger profiling and is not a co-sponsor of the End Racial Profiling Act. |
| DACA | For | Advocates for the maintenance of DACA |
| Sanctuary Cities | For | Supports sanctuary cities |
| Legalizing Marijuana | For | Advocates for the legalization of marijuana |