Decision 2018 and the midterm election is just two weeks away.
The race for the 14th District Congressional seat is drawing attention from around the country. It features incumbent Randy Hultgren versus newcomer Lauren Underwood.
The disagree on health care, the GOP tax bill and the current crisis of migrants trying to cross the border.
The 14th District stretches from all the way to Dekalb and St. Charles to Plano and Oswego. It has been a traditional republican district but this time — it’s considered a toss up — with a newcomer making the incumbent sweat in the final two weeks.
Underwood at 32 — grew up in Naperville, worked for the Obama Adminstration, now faces Congressman Hultgren. They have far different views.
"This economy is the best in my lifetime," Hultgren said Tuesday. "Lowest unemployment, highest number of jobs created--a real optimism."
"He has voted to take away our health care and to raise our taxes," Underwood said. "He's voted to weaken our public schools and has been unwilling to act in the face of escalating gun violence."
Chicago Politics
Underwood is a nurse with a preexisting heart condition, worked for the Obama administration on health care. What do the candidates say about health care and pre-existing conditions?
"An insurance company can only ask two questions when determining your premium: where do you live geographically and do you have a history of tobacco use," Underwood said. "That's it."
You kinda just put it right into the base level with car insurance," Hultgren said. "Where you have just this basic coverage of knowing what everybody's gonna have."
Where do they stand on the current crisis of migrants looking to cross the border?
"There's a process that needs to be gone through," Hultgren said. "The wrong way is to come to the border and seek asylum."
"We have a broken immigration system," Underwood said. "That is not a new fact that just happened in the last week. In fact we saw the president change a long-standing U.S. policy that allowed for children to be in cages on the border."
As for President Donald Trump?
"The tweeting is really inappropriate," Underwood said. "It's really sewed a lot of chaos and confusion in Washington. However--I want America to be successful, and as a representative I would work with our president. "
"I support him in the things I agree with," Hultgren said. "I'm pretty vocal on the things I disagree on. I talked about refugee proposals where I've been outspoken and opposed."
The two meet in their very first — and perhaps only side-by-side comparison Tuesday night in Yorkville.
You can watch NBC 5's extended interviews with the two candidates here.
