Lauren Underwood

Lauren Underwood has monitored a heart condition since childhood.¹ In 2017, she decided to run for Congress after her representative voted for a healthcare bill she believed threatened coverage for people with conditions like hers.¹ She is also a registered nurse and a lifelong Girl Scout.²

Underwood earned her nursing bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan, followed by master's degrees in nursing and public health at Johns Hopkins.³ She worked as a research nurse and later helped implement the Affordable Care Act at the Department of Health and Human Services.³ As a senior HHS adviser, she worked on public health emergencies and disaster preparedness.² She has also taught future nurse practitioners through Georgetown University's online master's program and worked with a Medicaid plan in Chicago.²

She entered Congress in January 2019, becoming the youngest Black woman to serve in the House.⁴ She serves on Appropriations and helped found the Black Maternal Health Caucus.² With colleagues, she introduced the Momnibus, a package of proposals intended to improve maternal care and reduce disparities.⁴

In her 2026 campaign, Underwood supports making the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits permanent and reversing Medicaid cuts.⁵ She also advocates lower prescription drug costs and broader access to providers.⁵ On immigration, she supports secure borders and deporting undocumented violent criminals while criticizing the administration's approach to mass deportations.⁵