Lauren Underwood Bio
Lauren Ashley Underwood, born on October 4, 1986, is an American politician and registered nurse who serves as the U.S. representative for Illinois’s 14th congressional district. A member of the Democratic Party, she represents the outer western suburbs of Chicago, including DeKalb, Joliet, Oswego, Ottawa, and Yorkville. First elected in 2018, she became the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress and has since been reelected in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
Before entering Congress, Underwood built a career in healthcare policy, working in the Obama administration and later serving as a senior advisor at the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Her professional background in nursing and public health continues to shape her work in the House of Representatives, where she has focused on expanding healthcare access and addressing health disparities.
Early Life and Background
Lauren Ashley Underwood was born on October 4, 1986, in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and is of African American heritage. At the age of three, she moved with her family to Naperville, Illinois, where she grew up and attended local schools. She graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in 2004, having been active in her community from an early age. Underwood began as a Girl Scout in kindergarten and remains a lifetime member of the organization.
From 2003 to 2004, she served on the City of Naperville’s Fair Housing Advisory Commission, an early experience in civic engagement. At the age of eight, Underwood was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a pre-existing condition that would later shape her views on health policy and fuel her commitment to protecting patients with pre-existing conditions.
Underwood earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan in 2008. While at Michigan, she took a course on nursing politics that she has said changed her life and influenced her decision to enter healthcare policy. She also joined Alpha Kappa Alpha through the National Pan-Hellenic Council. She then earned a Master of Science in Nursing and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 2009.
Path to US Politics
Underwood’s transition into public service began with her work on healthcare policy. In 2014, she joined the Obama administration, where she contributed to the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The experience deepened her understanding of how federal policy shapes patient care and access to insurance.
During the same period, Underwood became a senior advisor at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, advising leadership on healthcare strategy. In 2017, she took on the role of senior director of strategy and regulatory affairs at Next Level Health, a managed care organization. She also served as an adjunct instructor at the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, sharing her policy expertise with future nurses.
In August 2017, Underwood announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Illinois’s 14th congressional district. Her platform focused on improving the Affordable Care Act, expanding job opportunities, investing in infrastructure, and supporting paid family leave.
Lauren Underwood Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Underwood’s early professional career centered on federal healthcare policy. In 2014, she joined the Obama administration and worked on the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, often called the ACA. That same year, she became a senior advisor at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, where she advised senior officials on regulatory and policy matters.
After leaving the administration, Underwood moved into the private and academic sectors. Beginning in 2017, she served as the senior director of strategy and regulatory affairs at Next Level Health. She also worked as an adjunct instructor at the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies, helping train the next generation of nurses in health policy and public health.
Congressional Breakthrough (2018)
Underwood launched her congressional campaign in August 2017, focusing on healthcare, jobs, and family leave. She won the March 2018 Democratic primary with 57 percent of the vote against six opponents, clearing the path for the general election.
In the general election, she faced Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren. The campaign centered on healthcare, especially Hultgren’s vote for the Republican American Health Care Act. Underwood, who lives with a pre-existing heart condition, argued that the bill would have made coverage unaffordable for patients like her. She won the November 6, 2018 election with 52.5 percent of the vote, earning endorsements from former president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden along the way. When she was sworn in, she became the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress.
Reelection Era (2020–Present)
Underwood has been reelected three times since her 2018 victory. In 2020, she defeated state senator Jim Oberweis in one of the closest House races of that cycle, with the Associated Press calling the race nine days after Election Day. In 2022, she won her primary election in a significantly redrawn 14th district with 54 percent of the vote.
During her tenure, Underwood has built a record of legislative productivity. In her first term, she wrote four bills that President Donald Trump signed into law. In total, 14 of her bills have been signed into law by Presidents Trump and Joe Biden. In 2019, she was named to the Time 100 Next list, with U.S. Senator Cory Booker writing the entry. In 2022, she was elected co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, becoming the first Black woman to hold an elected Democratic leadership position since Shirley Chisholm in the 1970s. Her work in Congress has focused heavily on healthcare disparities, particularly maternal health outcomes.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Underwood’s most visible moments in Congress was a 2019 Department of Homeland Security budget hearing, where she addressed the treatment of migrants in United States Border Patrol custody. Her remarks drew national attention and controversy and were stricken from the record. In 2019, she was named to the Time 100 Next list, recognizing her as one of the rising leaders in American public life. In the 117th Congress, she voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100 percent of the time, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.
Lauren Underwood Career Wins
Lauren Ashley Underwood has won four consecutive elections for the United States House of Representatives in Illinois’s 14th congressional district. Her victories span the 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 election cycles, establishing her as a consistent winner in both traditional and redrawn district maps.
Congressional Highlights
Underwood’s first congressional win came in November 2018, when she defeated Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren with 52.5 percent of the vote. Her 2020 win over state senator Jim Oberweis was one of the closest House races of the cycle. In 2022, she won 54 percent of the vote in a dramatically redrawn district, and in 2024, she defeated Republican Jim Marter with 55 percent of the vote.
Beyond electoral success, Underwood has also passed 14 bills into law across the Trump and Biden administrations. Her 2019 inclusion in the Time 100 Next list further highlighted her national profile as a rising leader in Democratic politics.
Other Wins & Achievements
In 2022, Underwood was elected co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, making her the first Black woman to hold an elected Democratic leadership position since Shirley Chisholm in the 1970s. Her repeated recognition on national lists, including Time 100 Next in 2019, reflects her influence within the party.
Lauren Underwood Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Lauren Ashley Underwood was born in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and raised primarily in Naperville, Illinois, after her family relocated when she was three years old. She is of African American heritage. Public information about her parents and siblings has not been widely reported, and she has generally kept her early family life private.
Personal Life
Underwood has lived with supraventricular tachycardia, a pre-existing heart condition, since the age of eight. The diagnosis has played a central role in her political work, particularly her advocacy for patients with pre-existing conditions. Details about her spouse, partner, and children are not part of the public record on which this page is based.