* Buried down deep in this Tribune profile of US Rep. Randy Hultgren’s tough race against Democrat Lauren Underwood is this little nugget…

Hultgren finished September with $1 million in the bank that could pay for a late-campaign advertising blitz.

Republicans I know have been fuming about this million dollar stash all month. He’s got the money to spend, but he’s not even up on broadcast TV.

If he’s saving it for a rainy day, I have news for him: Hurricane Lauren is bearing down on your district, bub. And she’s at least a Category 3.

* Meanwhile…

At Tuesday’s debate at the Kendall County Courthouse in Yorkville, Underwood had a chance to call out Hultgren to his face, in public, because she believes that vote removed protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

“It was really clear in all the press coverage around these repeal-and-replace bills that the American Health Care Act did not create an opportunity for individuals like me with pre-existing conditions to have affordable coverage,” she said. “We must ensure that individuals with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied, and they cannot be charged (more).”

Hultgren said there is language right in the American Health Care Act that states pre-existing conditions cannot be used to reduce insurance or increase costs.

“Either Lauren Underwood hasn’t read it, or she doesn’t understand it,” Hultgren said.

I think she understands it fine.

* Tribune…

A Washington Post fact-checker last year said that while “people with pre-existing conditions would not be denied coverage” under the Republican health care plan, people who “have a gap in coverage, they still could face higher, unaffordable premiums for a year.”

* And AARP is hopping mad about that bill Hultgren voted for and has been reminding its members of what Hultgren and others tried to do…

Congress: We didn’t forget how you voted on those bad #healthcare bills last year. We’ve kept tally - and now our 38 million members can hold you accountable this election. https://t.co/LKtxEbGpUq #Midterms2018 #AARPVotes pic.twitter.com/yj41judlH0

— AARP Advocates (@AARPadvocates) October 24, 2018

Maybe the congressman should’ve read the bill and tried to understand it before he voted for it?

* On to the tune…

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

* Related…

* 14th Congressional District candidate Underwood attends forum alone: Underwood, who defeated six white men in the primary, said race has never been an issue in her run for the 14th District – a swath of Illinois that is about 87 percent white. “The people of the 14th will recognize the choice we have on the ballot, based on the level of representation we’ve had over the last eight years,” Underwood said.

* Lauren Underwood visits McHenry County, rallies supporters: “Randy Hultgren has voted to turn Medicare into a voucher program,” Underwood said. “Those kinds of actions are unacceptable. We need to make sure that the American people have programs like Medicare and Social Security to provide retirement security, to allow folks to have high-quality health care through old age and through the rest of their lives.”

* Watch: NBC 5 Interview With 14th Congressional District Candidates Randy Hultgren, Lauren Underwood

* Our View: Randy Hultgren in 14th Congressional District: Although Underwood is a promising candidate with a clear message on an important issue, we believe Hultgren best represents the district.

* GMA: Registered nurse Lauren Underwood wants to become the first black woman to represent her district: Since 1939, only one Democrat has won the district — Bill Foster, who won in 2008 but lost his re-election.