14th Congressional District : Oberweis Wins Republican Nomination

DISTRICT 14, ILLINOIS — Hours after the polls closed, the race for a chance to unseat Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL, 14) had a projected winner in Republican Jim Oberweis, who faced off against six other Republicans for a chance to take Underwood's place in November.

Sue Rezin, closest to Oberweis in the race, has conceded, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Alphabetically, the field Oberweis fended off for the nomination included Anthony Catella, Jerry Evans, Ted Gradel, Catalina Lauf, James Marter and Sue Rezin.

Here's a quick look at each candidate and where they stand on some of the issues.

Anthony Catella

Anthony Catella is a Republican candidate in the 14th district. He has served in the U.S. Army, according to his campaign website.

In an open letter to voters on his site, Catella said he supports "principles that are good, decent, just and redemptive."

Jerry Evans

Jerry Evans is a self-proclaimed "Trump conservative," according to his campaign website. He describes himself as a "true outsider, local small business man and community contributor."

Women's Issues

Evans says on his campaign website that he is an "unashamed Christian and 100 percent pro-life."

Health Care

According to Evans's website, he aims to "fix our broken health care system." He adds that he is committed to lowering health care costs and guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions.

Immigration

Evans plans to address what he calls the "immigration crisis" by "securing the southern border." He adds that he hopes DACA recipients will be able to get a path to citizenship if they do not have any misdemeanors.

Ted Gradel

A self-proclaimed "outsider,"Ted Gradel aims to edge out career politicians, according to his campaign website. A former Notre Dame football player, Gradel is married with three daughters.

Term Limits

Gradel supports term limits to help prevent career politicians from holding one position for too long.

Foreign Policy

According to his campaign website, Gradel "believes in a strong national defense and what Ronald Reagan called peace through strength." He also contends that the "campaign against ISIS is a blueprint for precise, limited action in cases where it is absolutely necessary."

"Socialism"

Gradel says he is "deeply concerned" about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez "and other socialists who are pushing policies that will take more money out of taxpayers’ pockets."

Catalina Lauf

The daughter of an immigrant from Guatemala, Catalina Lauf grew up in Woodstock, Illinois, with her parents and her sister, Madeline.

Immigration

On her campaign website, Catalina Lauf states that she "believes that having a safe and secure border is essential to our nation's security and will help President Trump finish building the wall, secure our ports of entry and will support legislation that encourages legal immigration.

Economy

Catalina Lauf "firmly supports President Trump’s Tax Cuts and Job Act, continued deregulation and tax cuts for small businesses, and will encourage policies that promote a free-enterprise, free-market system."

James Marter

James Marter aims to "flip the District back to red." He and his wife Jill have four children and live in Oswego.

Immigration

Per Marter's campaign website, he aims to, "Enforce existing Immigration law. Build the wall. No DACA & No Amnesty. End Chain migration & birthright citizenship. End Sanctuary Cities."

Gun Reform

Marter writes, "I firmly support the 2A – 'the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.' NRA 100% Candidate Rating. NRA, ISRA, GunsSaveLife.com"

Health Care

Marter wants to "Repeal Obamacare, or as I know it, the 'Un-Affordable Care Act'. I won’t rest until repealed. It is 'Unconstitutional' on multiple fronts!

Jim Oberweis

Entrepreneur Jim Oberweis is Chairman of Oberweis Dairy. He lives with his wife, Julie. Together, they have five children and Jim has two step-children.

Immigration

Per his campaign website, "Jim supports strong border security, and believes the law enforcement agents who work at ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) deserve to have the resources and support they need to conduct their vital work at the border."

Health Care

According to his campaign website, "Jim supports the free market, and believes government should play only a limited role in health care, while protecting those with pre-existing conditions. One of Jim’s favorite ideas to solve our nation’s health care crisis is to increase portability of health insurance plans. "

"Socialism"

Oberweis writes, "Socialism fails everywhere it is implemented, stifling creativity and freedom. Jim has been a staunch supporter of the free market in the state legislature and in his work in the private sector, and he will continue to champion the free market once elected to Congress."

Sue Rezin

State Senator Sue Rezin is married to her husband, Keith. Together they have four grown children.

Immigration

Per her campaign website, Rezin believes "Just as you are not a bad neighbor if you lock the doors to your home while you are out, the United States is not a bad neighbor if it takes action to control our borders to determine who comes in, when and for how long."

Health Care

Rezin co-sponsored a bill " in the Illinois State Senate to prohibit discrimination against people with preexisting health conditions from obtaining health coverage." She says her "top priority is to protect those with preexisting health conditions from discrimination."

Women's Issues

Rezin states that she has a "100 percent pro-life" voting record.