Candidates lining up for 14th Congressional seat
As Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood of Naperville weighs a potential Senate campaign in 2026, two other candidates have surfaced for her 14th Congressional District seat.
James Marter, an Oswego Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Underwood last year, confirmed via email Friday that he will run again. Marter filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission in December indicating his intent.
Roman Valenciano, a Democrat from Earlville in LaSalle County, also is running. He filed a federal candidacy statement late last month.
Underwood has submitted a candidacy statement, too, but that doesn’t mean she can’t change direction and run for the Senate — or not at all — instead.
The 14th District includes parts of Kane, Will and five other counties.
First elected to Congress in 2018, Underwood received about 55% of the vote to defeat Marter in November and secure a fourth term.
Underwood filed her statement of candidacy for 2026 later in November, federal records indicate. She has been actively fundraising for the seat and ended March with about $1.1 million in her campaign account, according to her latest finance report.
Underwood has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated in 2026 by veteran Democrat Dick Durbin. Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton already announced her candidacy, and the field is expected to grow.
Underwood is carefully considering her next steps, a campaign representative said Friday.
Marter is a software consultant whose lone term on the Oswego Public Library District board ends this month. Rather than running for reelection, he unsuccessfully sought a seat on the Oswego School District 308 board.
Marter previously ran for Congress in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and for U.S. Senate in 2016.
Marter filed his congressional candidacy statement in December, federal records indicate. He, too, has been fundraising; he ended March with less than $6,000 in his campaign coffers, documents show.
When asked why he’s running again, Marter accused Underwood of closely aligning with former President Joe Biden’s agenda. He also claimed her campaign primarily is funded by residents of San Francisco and New York City, even though only 19 of the roughly 700 donations Team Underwood itemized in its most recent financial report came from people living in those two cities.
In contrast, about 180 of the itemized donations came from Illinoisans, far more than any other state, the data shows.
Valenciano’s campaign website says he’s an Aurora native who’s worked in human resources.
In an email sent Friday evening, Valenciano said he believes voters are tired of uncontested races on their ballots.
“We deserve real choices and leaders who earn our votes,” he said.
Valenciano hasn’t filed any campaign financial reports.