Republican congressional hopeful Scott Gryder said he was inspired to challenge Democratic incumbent Lauren Underwood after boundaries were redrawn by the Illinois General Assembly based on 2020 census results.
The 14th Congressional District shifted away from some of the far western and northwestern suburbs to instead represent Democratic-leaning Joliet and Underwood’s hometown of Naperville westward through conservative Kendall County farmland into rural LaSalle County.
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Gryder, 46, of Oswego, said the district now better represents Kendall County, where he has lived his whole life and where he is serving his third term as chairman of the board.
“It’s my home and has been my family’s base for generations,” Gryder said. “On top of that, one of the reasons I wanted to run was everything from schools to mandates to regulations; it felt like there was too much meddling from Washington, and I want people to feel empowered without too much government overreach.”
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Gryder won a five-way Republican primary race in June with 31% of the vote. Now, he says he is ready to take on Underwood because of what he calls an immense amount of local experience on various boards, from the plan commission to the library board.
“I’ve worked at the local level, and I’m used to working very closely with the people I’m going to represent,” Gryder said. “I’m not coming in and running for the first time at a high level. I’ve been in the trenches and I can really relate to the people I want to represent.”
Underwood, 36, first ran for Congress in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Randy Hultgren, and she narrowly fended off a challenge by Jim Oberweis in 2020.
She said she has a “strong track record” of working with some of the smallest towns, such as Lisbon in Kendall County with a population under 300, and Aurora, the second largest city in the state. She emphasizes efforts related to clean water, farm economics and health care when asked about her accomplishments.
Regardless of size and whether it’s a rural, urban or suburban community, Underwood said all communities need help with infrastructure.
“Every community has a water issue. We’re helping everybody replace lead pipes, helping people get new water treatment plants,” she said. “Clean drinking water, obviously, is an essential piece of humanity. It’s essential for human life.”
Because the district is so diverse, Underwood said it’s important to hear from residents directly and offer a forum for people to ask questions.
“I take that feedback to heart, and it certainly guides the work that I do in the Congress,” she said.
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It was through listening, she said, that she was able to bring back resources to help corn and soybean farmers struggling with challenges with the trade war with China or fighting climate change.
[ GOP candidates line up to challenge Underwood ]
Gryder says he is pro-business and thinks the government needs fewer regulations, which would allow entrepreneurs to do what they do best. He thinks some mandates, such as mask requirements in schools, should be left to individuals.
He has served on the Kendall County Board since 2012, and he is most proud of creating a 10-point transparency plan for the county and pushing to send out new bids for projects instead of relying on the same contracts, which he said saved thousands of dollars for the county. The county also has not raised property taxes since he has chaired the board, he said.
While public records show the tax rate is lower, the amount of money collected from property taxpayers actually increased 17.24% between the first year Gryder was on the Kendall County Board and the current fiscal year, according to budget documents published online. County records show Kendall’s tax rate was 0.75 in 2012, rising to 0.80 in 2013 and 0.81 in 2014. Since then, the rate dropped each year to 0.60 in 2021.
Gryder said while campaigning, inflation has been the biggest issue residents say they are facing.
If elected, he thinks the U.S. needs to look at its energy independence and make fast changes to produce reliable energy domestically, including expanding ethanol, domestic oil production and nuclear power. He is proud one of the largest ethanol plants in the world is within the 14th District.
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Underwood said she’s laser-focused on fighting inflation and delivering economic relief to the families in Illinois, such as reducing the cost of prescription drugs.
“The inflation piece is certainly a priority. It’s one that we obviously know that families are still struggling. But we’ve seen some important progress,” she said.
Gryder said he recently met with a group of seniors on a fixed income who are struggling to make choices on what foods to buy at the grocery store because of the increase in prices.
“You have all the consequences of inflation and the margin is thinning,” Gryder said. “You can’t pass everything on to the customer or else they’ll lose business, so they are raising prices a bit but they are also losing out on profitability, and then they can’t innovate and hire more employees. It’s a challenging situation people are finding themselves in.”
Underwood points to her legislation, part of the American Rescue Plan, that provided tax credits that led to a record 14.5 million Americans enrolling in Affordable Care Act coverage during the 2022 open enrollment period. She said 4 out of 5 enrollees were able to find a plan for $10 or less a month.
“It was set to expire at the end of this calendar year. But obviously, I wasn’t about to let that happen,” Underwood said.
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Working with colleagues, Underwood said she was able to secure a three-year extension in the Inflation Reduction Act signed in August. She said that means the tax credits — which lower health care costs by an average of $2,400 per family for a family of four — will be available through the end of 2025.
“I believe that health care is a human right, and everybody needs high quality, affordable health care,” Underwood said.
Another motivating issue in this election is the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court, Underwood said.
“Throughout my entire lifetime, we’ve had protected access to reproductive freedom through the Roe decision,” she said. “We have had a right taken away from us, and it’s been stunning for women like me, young girls and families all across our country.”
She said people she’s spoken with are outraged and confused how what they thought was a constitutionally protected right could be taken away.
While Illinois protects access to safe and legal abortions, she said if Republicans get control of the House, they will pass the federal ban that supersedes Illinois law.
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Gryder’s personal views vary from Underwood’s, opposing abortion except in the instance of rape or incest or a danger to the life of the mother. He thinks abortion laws should be decided by the states.
“In Illinois, it is about as pro-choice as a state as you can get, so there isn’t a lot I can do federally,” Gryder said. “I’m for freedom for individuals, and I think sending it back to the states and letting the people decide is the way to do it.”
Gryder is also a strong opponent of gun control measures. Last year, the County Board approved a resolution supporting gun ownership rights.
Underwood says Congress must respond accordingly with data-driven, evidence-based policies because no one should live in fear of gun violence.
Gryder grew up in Plano and had internships in college with U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald, Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan and U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican House speaker in U.S. history who pleaded guilty in October of 2015 to illegally structuring bank withdrawals to avoid federal reporting requirements and cover up decades-old sexual abuse allegations.
Gryder works as the president of commercial services for Near North Title Group after receiving a law degree from DePaul University.
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Underwood was born in Ohio, and her family moved to Naperville when she was 3. She attended Indian Prairie District 204 schools, graduating from Neuqua Valley High School in 2004.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Michigan in 2008, and a master’s in nursing and master’s in public health from Johns Hopkins University in 2009.
A registered nurse, Underwood worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2014-17 and was elected to Congress in 2018.
Where the two candidates differ the most is in their campaign finances. Underwood has a fundraising lead more than 226 times the size of Gryder’s.
As of June 30, the Lauren Underwood for Congress committee reported having $2.8 million in cash on hand. Gryder had only $12,437 in cash on hand.
Among her biggest donors this year are unions representing teachers, machinists and operating engineers, women’s and family planning groups, and hospital and nursing organizations.
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Gryder said while it’s tough going against an incumbent because he has far less financial backing, he has always loved a David versus Goliath fable. He hopes he’ll receive more support after he was recently named a 2022 Young Gun under a program by the National Republican Congressional Committee that helps candidates receive extra help.
“I’ve always been a fighter for those who need an advocate. You’ve got all this money from Nancy Pelosi, Washington and the coasts flooding in to help her out and that’s what we are fighting against. We want somebody who is here and fighting for this district,” Gryder said.
The candidates are scheduled to participate in an online forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday hosted by the Aurora Area League of Women Voters, League of Women Voters of Naperville and the League of Women Voters of DeKalb County. To register for a link, visit the website of any of the three league chapters.
Suzanne Baker is a reporter with the Naperville Sun. Megan Jones is a reporter with the Beacon-News.
