James Marter

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

James Marter

Republican Party

Candidate, U.S. House Illinois District 14

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

Bachelor's

Purdue University

Personal

Profession

Business owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

James Marter (Republican Party) (also known as Jim) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Illinois' 14th Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.^[source]

Biography

James Marter lives in Bartonville, Illinois. He graduated from Limestone Community High School. Marter earned a B.S. in industrial management and a minor in computer science from Purdue University. He also received professional certification from the American Production and Inventory Control Society. Marter's career experience includes working as a business owner and entrepreneur.

Elections

2026

See also: Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2026

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood, Roman Valenciano, Jed Davis, and James Marter are running in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Lauren Underwood (D)
	Submit photo	Roman Valenciano (D)
		Jed Davis (R)
		James Marter (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2024

Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Republican primary)

Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 19 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood defeated James Marter in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood (D)	55.1	183,446
		James Marter (R)	44.9	149,464
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	19

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 332,929
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood	100.0	32,400

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 32,400
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

James Marter defeated Charlie Kim and Krystal Dorey in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James Marter	79.0	24,828
		Charlie Kim	20.9	6,571
		Krystal Dorey (Write-in)	0.0	14
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	14

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 31,427
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Matthew Leiv (R)
• Jack Lombardi II (R)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Marter in this election.

Pledges

Marter signed the following pledges.

• U.S. Term Limits

2022

See also: Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood defeated Scott Gryder and Barry Wilson in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood (D)	54.2	128,141
		Scott Gryder (R)	45.8	108,451
		Barry Wilson (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	8

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 236,600
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood	100.0	37,780

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,780
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Scott Gryder defeated James Marter, Mike Koolidge, Jack Lombardi II, and Jaime Milton in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Scott Gryder	30.9	13,998
		James Marter	24.2	10,950
		Mike Koolidge	20.7	9,378
		Jack Lombardi II	14.1	6,372
		Jaime Milton	10.2	4,612

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 45,310
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Susan Starrett (R)

2020

See also: Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2020

Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Republican primary)

Illinois' 14th Congressional District election, 2020 (March 17 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood defeated Jim Oberweis and Joseph Monack in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood (D)	50.7	203,209
		Jim Oberweis (R)	49.3	197,835
	Submit photo	Joseph Monack (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	8

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 401,052
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

Incumbent Lauren Underwood advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lauren Underwood	100.0	77,707

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 77,707
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 14 on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Oberweis	25.6	13,333
		Sue Rezin	22.8	11,879
		Catalina Lauf	20.1	10,451
		Ted Gradel	13.4	6,979
		James Marter	11.0	5,724
		Jerry Evans	5.0	2,609
	Submit photo	Anthony Catella	2.1	1,118

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 52,093
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Danny Malouf (R)
• Matt Quigley (R)

2018

See also: Illinois' 16th Congressional District election, 2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Illinois District 16

Incumbent Adam Kinzinger defeated Sara Dady in the general election for U.S. House Illinois District 16 on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adam Kinzinger (R)	59.1	151,254
		Sara Dady (D)	40.9	104,569
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	2

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 255,825
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 16

Sara Dady defeated Neill Mohammad, Amy Murri Briel, and Beth Vercolio-Osmund in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Illinois District 16 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sara Dady	40.3	17,173
		Neill Mohammad	27.2	11,599
		Amy Murri Briel	19.5	8,291
		Beth Vercolio-Osmund	13.0	5,526

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 42,589
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 16

Incumbent Adam Kinzinger defeated James Marter in the Republican primary for U.S. House Illinois District 16 on March 20, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Adam Kinzinger	67.9	44,878
		James Marter	32.1	21,242

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 66,120
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jaye DeBates (R)

2016

See also: United States Senate election in Illinois, 2016

The race for Illinois' U.S. Senate seat was one of nine competitive battleground races in 2016. U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D) defeated incumbent Mark Kirk (R)—who was seeking re-election to his second term—Kenton McMillen (L), and Scott Summers (G) in the general election on November 8, 2016.

In her victory speech, Duckworth said, “Tonight, we showed a campaign that respects voters and is focused on practical solutions rather than shopworn slogans can be successful. We showed that a relentless focus on rebuilding Illinois’ middle class and respecting hard worth rather than wealth can be successful, too.”

During his concession speech, Kirk said, "What unites us as Americans is much stronger than what divides us." Kirk also invited Duckworth to have a beer with him as a peace offering. He said, “This beer summit with [sic] show kids across Illinois that opponents can peacfully [sic] bury the hatchet.”

Numerous analysts labeled Kirk the most vulnerable GOP incumbent in 2016 due to Illinois' tendency to vote overwhelmingly for Democrats during presidential election cycles. Kirk faced significant opposition from national Democrats who targeted Illinois as an essential seat needed to regain the majority in the U.S. Senate. Democrats picked up two seats in Election Day, but they fell short of the five seats that they needed to take control of the Senate.

U.S. Senate, Illinois General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tammy Duckworth	54.9%	3,012,940
	Republican	Mark Kirk Incumbent	39.8%	2,184,692
	Libertarian	Kenton McMillen	3.2%	175,988
	Green	Scott Summers	2.1%	117,619
	N/A	Write-in	0%	639
Total Votes				5,491,878
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

U.S. Senate, Illinois Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Mark Kirk Incumbent	70.6%	931,619
James Marter	29.4%	388,571
Total Votes		1,320,190
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

U.S. Senate, Illinois Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Tammy Duckworth	64.4%	1,220,128
Andrea Zopp	24%	455,729
Napoleon Harris	11.6%	219,286
Total Votes		1,895,143
Source: Illinois State Board of Elections

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

James Marter has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to James Marter asking him to fill out the survey. If you are James Marter, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

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You can ask James Marter to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@Marter4Congress.US.

2024

James Marter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Marter’s campaign website stated the following:

“	Priorities Cut Spending In Congress, I will be relentless in my efforts to reduce the size and scope of the federal government. The out of control spending of our political class is robbing future generations of the American Dream. I will fight to end government waste, fraud, abuse and believe that government should live within a balanced budget, just like the working people who pay for it. Grow Opportunity I will work to proactively dismantle the policies that have robbed us of our energy independence, disadvantaged the American worker, raised inflation, lowered productivity, put small businesses at risk and suffocated innovation. The market needs less self-enriching politicians meddling in it and more everyday Americans prospering in it. Protect Freedom You have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Big government is a threat to all three. Officials who believe they can silence your speech, restrict your healthcare, close your houses of worship, pry into your finances, threaten your job and your ability to defend yourself, are not worthy to represent you or this great nation. I will restore liberty and protect your rights. Improve Security We need this within our borders, at our border and beyond our borders. Bad policies have created a humanitarian crisis for immigrants, a disaster for American workers and increased threats to our national security. There are risks to our health, the integrity of our elections, the safety of our neighborhoods and even terrorism. With widespread sex trafficking, drug smuggling, gang violence and opioid addiction, we need leaders with courage. I understand these issues, am supported by experts on them and in Congress I’ll work to secure the border, support law enforcement and protect American jobs and our way of life, from threats foreign and domestic. Unite America Anti-American “agents of change” are intentionally dividing us, with grave consequences. Schools are abandoning academics to push political activism, gender narratives and junk science, increasing hatred, depression and confusion in our youth. Political agendas are affecting everything from how our military protects us, what laws are selectively enforced and what medicines we have access to. We’re failing a generation by offering no alternative to embracing destructive ideologies that promise big but bring only hardship and despair. We need leaders who demand better and will promote American values and exceptionalism. Send Jim to Congress! He'll represent YOU. Issues at a glance Economy: We need free market principles and smart trade policy. The government should not politicize industries, picking winners and threatening competition. Election Integrity: America’s elections need dramatically better protection from foreign and domestic meddling, criminal activity and abuse. Immigration: We need to enforce existing law, secure the border and end harmful practices putting us at risk. Medical Tyranny: We need to stop the medical tyranny being promoted and in some instances forced upon us by government agendas that have nothing to do with science. Energy: We need to return to energy independence which is crucial to national security. Foreign Policy: Congress has a duty to put America first. We need people of integrity representing us, who can set aside their desire for political power and personal enrichment, and advance the interests and security of the United States of America. Social Security: We need to protect Americans who rely on it but reform this program that will fail future generations. Life: I am pro-life. We should not be funding Planned Parenthood and we should protect innocent children in the womb. First Amendment: We need to stop censorship, protect free speech, religious liberty and our other Constitutional rights Second Amendment: I firmly support your Second Amendment rights Education: The federal government has failed with Common Core and the Department of Education. Its role in education must be reduced. Healthcare: The Affordable Care Act gave us less choice and dramatically higher prices. We need to repeal it. Taxes: Working people and families should pay less in taxes. It’s one way to unleash the economy. Military: I support a strong military and the brave men and women who serve. We must honor, care for and improve the lives of our vets. Terrorism: Those who promote terror are the enemies of freedom. They respect strength and are emboldened by weakness.	”
—James Marter’s campaign website (2024)

2022

James Marter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

James Marter did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Marter's campaign website stated the following:

“	Budget Balanced budget Amendment! I will be relentless in the pursuit of cutting the size & scope of government, eliminating waste, fraud, & abuse. Immigration Enforce existing Immigration law. Build the wall. No DACA & No Amnesty. End Chain migration & birthright citizenship. End Sanctuary Cities. 2nd Amendment 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 Economy Unleash the economy by cutting taxes & red tape. Free up American business & workers to excel & grow the economy Making America Great Again! Reform Cut the size & scope of Government “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem” – Ronald Reagan Health Repeal Obamacare, or as I know it, the “Un-Affordable Care Act”. I won’t rest until repealed. It is “Unconstitutional” on multiple fronts! Military I support a strong Military, one of the limited constitutional powers of the federal government. I support our brave men & women. Veterans Admin (VA) I support our Veterans. Within VA hospitals & centers, investigate & solve the crisis of incompetency and corruption. Help our veterans! Pro-life I am ProLife. Protect LIFE of the innocent child in the womb. Ensure Planned Parenthood is defunded permanently. Sponsor LIFE legislation. Taxes You deserve a tax cut, more than just passed. I support a 10% Flat Tax and repeal of the Estate/Death tax, lower taxes on American business Energy Build the Keystone XL pipeline. Responsibly Produce new American energy from available natural resources in the lower 48 and in Alaska. Social Security A Ponzi scheme by any definition, antiquated & archaic, needs to be repealed & replaced, modernized to protect Americans who rely upon it. Education End federal involvement in Common Core, eliminate the Dept. of Education. Get the Federal government out of education, per 10th Amendment. Values We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.	”
—James Marter's campaign website (2020)

2018

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's candidate surveys

James Marter participated in Ballotpedia's candidate survey on February 26, 2018. The survey questions appear in bold, and James Marter's responses follow below.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

“

1) I will be relentless in the pursuit of cutting the size and scope of government, eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse from government and cutting government bureaucracy and agencies which are neither necessary at the federal level nor constitutional. 2) I won’t rest until we have repealed Obamacare, Or as I know it, the “Un-Affordable Care Act”. It is the biggest tax increase in American history and a government takeover of Healthcare. It is inexcusable the Republican led Congress, has not passed a complete Repeal and have it ready on the President’s desk on the day he was inaugurated on January 20, 2017. And even more inexcusable that they have done nothing in more than a year. Congressman Kinzinger thinks you can fix it. Well I’ll tell you, you can’t fix stupid (the PPACA). 3) I support Americans and legal immigrants by supporting the adequate enforcement of America's existing border and immigration laws as the US Constitution requires for the protection of American jobs, elections, taxpayer resources, health, and lives. Stop the influx. Enforce existing Immigration law. No DACA and No Amnesty. End LBJ’s Chain migration. End birthright citizenship. Build the wall.

”

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

“

Marter did not provide a response to this question.

”

2016

The following issues were listed on Marter's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

“	Repeal Obamacare, more accurately described as the Un-Affordable Care Act. I am Pro-Life. I will vote to defund Planned Parenthood and vote for Pro-Life legislation. On Immigration, stop the influx and enforce the law. No to another Amnesty Program. Balance the Budget. Fix the tax code, make it flat and simple, and slash the size of the IRS. Stop giving our treasury to foreign countries, crony capitalists, and end the “corporate welfare”. 2nd AMENDMENT. I firmly support the right to bear arms as unequivocally stated in the Bill of Rights: "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Support our Military and Veterans. Investigate and solve the crisis of incompetency and corruption in the VA. Eliminate all federal funding and involvement in Common Core or any national education standards.	”
—James Marter's campaign website, http://www.marter4senate.us/sub/index.php/james/issues

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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James Marter campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House Illinois District 14	Candidacy Declared general	$27,232	$11,599
2024*	U.S. House Illinois District 14	Lost general	$326,754	$322,950
2022	U.S. House Illinois District 14	Lost primary	$140,213	$140,046
2020	U.S. House Illinois District 14	Lost primary	$71,165	$71,513
2018	U.S. House Illinois District 16	Lost primary	$63,209	N/A**
Grand total			$628,574	$546,108
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also

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Candidate

U.S. House Illinois District 14

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Footnotes

[show]

Illinois' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tammy Duckworth (D)

Dick Durbin (D)

Representatives

District 1

Jonathan Jackson (D)

District 2

Robin Kelly (D)

District 3

Delia Ramirez (D)

District 4

Jesus Garcia (D)

District 5

Mike Quigley (D)

District 6

Sean Casten (D)

District 7

Danny Davis (D)

District 8

Raja Krishnamoorthi (D)

District 9

Jan Schakowsky (D)

District 10

Brad Schneider (D)

District 11

Bill Foster (D)

District 12

Mike Bost (R)

District 13

Nikki Budzinski (D)

District 14

Lauren Underwood (D)

District 15

Mary Miller (R)

District 16

Darin LaHood (R)

District 17

Eric Sorensen (D)

Democratic Party (16)

Republican Party (3)