Oberweis Declares Victory Over Underwood In 14th District Race

Last updated at 4:17 p.m.

ILLINOIS — The race for the seat in Illinois's 14th Congressional District between Democrat Lauren Underwood and Republican Jim Oberweis promised to be one of the most-watched in the state and remained tight Wednesday, with Oberweis declaring victory though he leads by less than 1,000 votes.

Andra Bellknap, a spokesperson for Lauren Underwood for Congress, told Patch, "Votes are still being counted in this race and this race remains too close to call. We're excited to see record-breaking voter turnout across this community, and commend our county clerks offices for their work during this unprecedented election."

But later in the day Wednesday, Oberweis was more decisive.

"Today, after contacting every County Clerk across the 14th District, I am pleased to say that, with only a handful of outstanding ballots, it appears that I have won a tough fought campaign against Lauren Underwood," he said in a statement. "This race has been an uphill battle to say the least. Lauren Underwood has enjoyed a tremendous financial advantage having outspent me 4-1. But despite all of the money she spent, we prevailed."

Underwood's campaign countered with this statement, "Jim Oberweis doesn't get to call this election: the voters do. There are thousands of votes that have yet to be counted. We appreciate every voter who made their voice heard, and our county clerks and election officials must count every ballot in as expeditious and transparent a manner as is possible. Based on publicly available data, we remain confident that once ballots are counted, this race will reflect that the voters have reelected Congresswoman Lauren Underwood."

With 100 percent of votes in, Oberweis maintained a slight lead over Underwood by 895 votes.

A deluge of mail-in votes cast this election amid the coronavirus pandemic — many of which will not be counted tonight — makes this election unlike any in the past. Officials have two weeks post-election to count all provisional votes.

It Could Be Weeks Until Illinois Knows Election Results

Heading in to the election, the freshman Underwood was endorsed by President Barack Obama and Oberweis, an entrepreneur and state lawmaker, was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

Underwood was elected in 2018, when she defeated incumbent Randy Hultgren in the traditionally Republican district. Oberweis, a Republican, is hoping to flip the district back to red.

Oberweis is chairman of the family-owned Oberweis Dairy and serves in the Illinois State Senate, where he is not seeking re-election.

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Underwood's liberal stance on many key issues faces a challenge from conservative Oberweis.

Here's a look at where each candidate stands on some key issues in the election.

Health Care

According to Underwood's campaign website, "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."

According to his campaign website, Oberweis "supports the free market, and believes government should play only a limited role in health care, while protecting those with pre-existing conditions."

Gun Control

Underwood's campaign website asserts that "Gun violence prevention is a public health issue, and Lauren believes that Congress must respond accordingly with data-driven, evidence-based policies."

According to Northwest Herald, Oberweis is a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. In a late-September debate against Underwood, Oberweis said he supports universal background checks, but added, "The best thing that we could do to protect our kids and adults would be to combine the five different databases that we have right now."

Coronavirus

In her Patch candidate survey, Underwood said the following about coronavirus: "Over the past six months, the Trump Administration has failed to implement a national COVID-19 strategy to provide the testing, tracing, and treatment needed to limit community spread and support a robust economic recovery. Meanwhile, our families, essential workers, students and small business owners are suffering without the support they need."

In Oberweis's Patch candidate survey, Oberweis said, "The most frustrating part of confronting COVID-19 has been the politicization of this virus. From the very beginning of the pandemic we lost valuable time in terms of responding to the virus because of the misinformation coming out of China. Had China been more forthcoming with good information about the disease, we could have been more informed in terms of how to respond."

Black Lives Matter Movement

In her Patch candidate survey, Underwood said, "Black lives matter is a simple statement of values that I have been proud to see our community embrace. I literally witnessed change happen across the 14th District. I am truly inspired by the alliances that have formed across our community as we called for justice for Mr. Floyd. I was devastated to see the violence that occurred in Kenosha in the wake of Mr. Blake's shooting. Racism, hate and weapons of war have no place in our communities. We should never seek to solve our problems through violence."

In his Patch candidate survey, Oberweis wrote, "There is no question that black lives DO matter. I actively support efforts to eradicate racism in our society. But Black Lives Matter as an organization is a radical group committed to untenable policies like defunding the police and raising money for Democrat candidates. We need thoughtful, practical solutions not the radicalism Black Lives Matter as an organization offers. I strongly support the right of people to peacefully protest. I have done so myself. But what we are seeing with the rioting and looting, and violence is not peaceful protesting. They are destroying businesses and jobs, putting people out of work."