Melissa Bean

Melissa Bean
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 8th district
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2011
Preceded byPhil Crane
Succeeded byJoe Walsh
Personal details
BornMelissa Luburich
(1962-01-22) January 22, 1962 (age 64)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Alan Bean
​
(m. 1985)​
Children2
EducationOakton College (attended)
Roosevelt University (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Melissa Bean (née Luburich; born January 22, 1962) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district from 2005 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, Bean is the nominee to regain her old seat in the 2026 U.S. House election.

Early life and education

Bean grew up in a Serbian-American family in the Chicago suburbs, where her adopted father was a machine belt factory owner. She attended Maine East High School before graduating from Oakton Community College with an associate degree in 1982 and from Roosevelt University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree.

Early career

Prior to her election to congress, Bean was president of a home-based business, Sales Resources Inc.

2002 U.S. House campaign

In 2002, Bean was defeated by 73-year-old 8th district Republican incumbent Phil Crane, who had held the seat for 33 years. However, Bean managed 43 percent of the vote, surprising observers from both parties, given that the national party offered almost no financial support to her campaign.

2004 U.S. House campaign

Bean rematched against Crane in 2004. This time, Bean raised almost as much money as Crane, mainly from small donors. In contrast, Crane received most of his donations from political action committees. Despite Republican efforts to help Crane, Bean defeated him with 52 percent of the vote, a margin of roughly four percentage points. George W. Bush carried the district in the concurrently-held presidential election by 12 points. When Bean took office on January 3, 2005, she became the first Democrat to represent the district since it was formed in 1935.

U.S. House of Representatives

Bean speaking in the Capitol, 2010.

Bean was a member of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition and the pro-business New Democrat Coalition. She served on the Small Business and Financial Services committees after being granted a waiver by Democratic leadership.

Committee assignments

2010 defeat

Bean was challenged by Republican nominee Joe Walsh and Green Party nominee Bill Scheurer, an anti-Iraq war candidate. Although Bean was heavily favored, she lost to Walsh by 291 votes. Bean was endorsed by the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Herald, and the Lake County News-Sun.

Post-congressional career

In 2011, Bean became President and CEO of the Executives Club of Chicago. After serving as chair of Midwest operations for JPMorgan Chase, she became CEO of Mesirow Wealth Advisors, part of Mesirow Financial, in 2019.

2026 U.S. House campaign

In September 2025, Bean announced her intention to run for her old congressional seat after a 15-year absence. The incumbent, five-term fellow Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, was running for the U.S. Senate. She was subsequently endorsed by Leading the Future super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz and OpenAI. On March 17, 2026, Bean won the Democratic nomination after defeating candidates such as Junaid Ahmed- who was endorsed by prominent progressive lawmakers such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)- and Dan Tully.

Political positions

Tax cuts and finance

In her first year in Congress in 2005, Bean was one of nine House Democrats to vote with Republicans to extend tax cuts on capital gains and dividends, a vote which House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi called "immoral". She also departed from the Democrats in 2006 to vote to extend about $70 billion in the Bush tax cuts (she was one of just 15 Democrats to back the legislation). She also voted to repeal the estate tax and voted in favor of a presidential line-item veto — votes that earned her the moniker "Tax Hero" from the anti-tax group Citizens Against Government Waste. Bean voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Free trade

Bean was one of only 15 Democrats to vote in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), a vote which lost her the endorsement of the AFL-CIO and other unions who viewed her vote as a betrayal, but gained her the support of — and awards from — the United States Chamber of Commerce. She co-sponsored the 2009 Employee Free Choice Act, though it did not become law.

Environment

Bean supported the House Democratic cap-and-trade bill in 2009, which would have capped carbon emissions from major U.S. sources and provided economic incentives for industries that reduce their emissions.

Iraq war

Bean supported the Iraq war, but opposed President George W. Bush's troop "surge" in 2006.

Healthcare

Bean supports abortion rights and voted in support of the Affordable Care Act. Bean was one of four Democrats to vote against the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010, joining 155 of 159 Republicans in defeating the bill.

Electoral history

Illinois's 8th congressional district: Results 2002–2008
Year Democratic Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct 3rd Party Party Votes Pct
2002 Melissa L. Bean 70,626 43% Philip M. Crane 95,275 57% *
2004 Melissa L. Bean 139,792 52% Philip M. Crane 130,601 48%
2006 Melissa L. Bean 93,355 51% David McSweeney 80,720 44% Bill Scheurer Moderate 8,502 5% *
2008 Melissa L. Bean 146,563 60% Steve Greenberg 97,931 40%
2010 Melissa L. Bean 97,824 48.3% Joe Walsh 98,115 48.5% Bill Scheurer Green 6,494 3.2%
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2002, Chuck Kelecic received 25 votes. In 2006, minor candidates received 817 votes.

Personal life

Bean lives in unincorporated Palatine Township with her husband and two girls.[needs update] Their residence was in the 8th District when they moved there, but became part of the 10th District because of redistricting. Bean is Serbian Orthodox.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Peterson, Eric (September 11, 2025). "Melissa Bean enters 8th Congressional race, 15 years after loss to Joe Walsh". Daily Herald. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Melissa Bean". Washington Post. July 25, 2012. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ "BEAN, Melissa L." Retrieved February 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Melissa Bean CV". The Washington Post. 2004. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "GOP fears party woes may be getting to Crane". Chicago Tribune. October 10, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Bitter end to 35-year career". Chicago Tribune. December 12, 2004. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  7. ↑ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Illinois: U.S. Representatives". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "GOP Sees Opportunity to Pick Up Seat in Chicago Suburbs". Fox News. August 20, 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ "GOP congressional candidate asked to drop out". Rockford Register Star. May 3, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Bean concedes 8th Cong. District seat to Tea Party's Walsh". Sun Times. November 16, 2010. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  11. ↑ "For the U.S. House". Chicago Tribune. October 7, 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Bean right for her district". Chicago Sun-Times. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Congress, 8th District: Bean". Daily Herald. October 16, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Our View: Bean, Seals for Congress". Lake County News-Sun. October 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  15. ↑ Yerak, Becky (March 1, 2011). "Melissa Bean to lead Executives' Club of Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  16. ↑ Archived June 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ Grim, Ryan; Carter, Zachary D. (June 20, 2014). "Former Congresswoman Now Officially Working For Wall Street". Huff Post. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  18. ↑ Marek, Lynne (March 14, 2019). "Mesirow nabs Melissa Bean from JPMorgan". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ Kapos, Shia (February 11, 2026). "AI dollars boosting Jackson, Bean". politico.com. Politico. Archived from the original on March 19, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  20. ↑ Struett, David; Van Benton, Somer (March 17, 2026). "Melissa Bean wins 8th Congressional District primary, moves to reclaim seat she lost 16 years ago". WBEZ Chicago. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  21. ↑ Kapos, Shia (March 17, 2026). "AIPAC, AI money propels Melissa Bean to comeback victory in Illinois". Politico. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
  22. ↑ Curry, Tom (December 12, 2005). "Why Democrats cross the aisle for a tax bill". NBC News. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  23. ↑ Walsh, Thomas (January 30, 2008). "Estate tax should not be repealed". Daily Herald. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  24. ↑ Moutevelis, Alexa (July 10, 2007). "Watchdog Group Names Rep. Bean a "Taxpayer Hero" Scores 80 Percent on CCAGW's Congressional Ratings". Citizens Against Government Waste. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Politics Home Page: Roll Call". Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
  26. ↑ "H.R.1409: Employee Free Choice Act of 2009 - U.S. Congress". OpenCongress. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Bean Speaks in Support of Iraq War Resolution, in Opposition to Troop Surge". February 15, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  28. ↑ "H.R.847: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 - U.S. Congress". July 29, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  30. ↑ "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Illinois State Board of Elections". Elections.state.il.us. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  32. ↑ "2020 Election Voter Guide - Chicago Tribune". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Ballots Cast: General Primary, 8th Congress - 2/2/2010". Illinois State Board of Elections. February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  34. ↑ "Illinois Redistricting Hearing | Video | C-SPAN.org". C-spanvideo.org. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  35. ↑ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  36. ↑ "109th Congress: Illinois" (PDF). July 11, 2005.