Melissa Bean

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Melissa Bean

United States Representative from Illinois's 8th district
In office 2005-present
Preceded by	Phil Crane
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	January 22, 1962 Chicago, Illinois
Political party	Democat
Spouse	Alan Bean
Religion	Serbian Orthodox

Melissa Luburić Bean (born on January 22, 1962) is an American politician of Serbian descent who was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2004. Bean graduated from Roosevelt University and is a Democrat, representing Illinois's 8th congressional district in the northwestern suburbs of Chicago (map). She lives in Barrington with her husband and two children. She is president of a major consulting firm.

1 Congressional races
2 Opponents
3 External links

[edit] Congressional races

[edit] 2002

In 2002, Bean ran against 33-year 8th District Republican incumbent Phil Crane. She charged that Crane, once a leader of conservative forces in the House, had become a "do-nothing" Congressman, and by focusing attention on lobbyist-funded trips that he had taken. As expected, she lost, but gained 43% of the vote--a stunning total since she received almost no funding from the national party. The 8th had long been considered the most Republican district in the Chicago area, and according to some in all of Illinois. Bean's performance was even more stunning since the 8th had reportedly been redrawn to protect Crane. Several former Republican primary opponents and Democratic general election opponents had their homes drawn into the neighboring 10th District.

[edit] 2004

In the 2004 campaign cycle, Bean raised almost as much money as Crane, mostly from individual donors, as opposed to Crane, most of whose money came from political action committees. Her surprising performance in the previous election led the national party to pump a large amount of money into her campaign. Faced with having to actually campaign for what was previously thought to be a safe seat, the Republicans tried their best to keep Crane in office. However, on November 2, 2004, Bean defeated Crane with 52% of the vote. She is the first Democrat to represent the district since its formation in 1935 (it was numbered the 10th District from 1935-49, the 13th from 1949-73, the 12th from 1973-93 and the 8th since 1993).[1]

[edit] 2006

Main article: Illinois 8th congressional district election, 2006

In 2006 Bean's seat was seen by Republicans as vulnerable to takeover due to her freshman status and the 8th district's Republican leaning in national elections. George W. Bush won this same Illinois district in the 2004 presidential election with 56% of the vote. Bean's reelection was, in turn, a top priority of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Bean is a Blue Dog Democrat who often touts her independent streak to constituents. On House votes through the first half of this year that divided the two parties, Bean backed the majority Democratic position 79.5 percent of the time, the 27th lowest score among House Democrats. Among her departures from the Democrats was her vote in May 2006 to extend about $70 billion in tax cuts (she was one of just 15 Democrats to back the legislation); her vote to permanently reduce the estate tax; and her vote in favor of a presidential line-item veto. Similarly, she is one of only 15 Democrats to vote in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). [2]

Representative Bean faced Republican David McSweeney, in the 2006 general election. In terms of money raised, both candidates report approximately $3 million in receipts (although McSweeney's figure includes nearly $2 million in loans he made to his own campaign), but there is a huge disparity in the key category of cash reserves. McSweeney had $472,000 cash on hand as of June 30 — less than one-fourth of what Bean had banked, largely because McSweeney had to spend heavily to win a competitive six-candidate March 21 primary with 43 percent of the vote, while Bean was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

In July, CQPolitics had this race rated as "leans Democratic." [3]

On October 18, 2006, the Daily Herald endorsed Melissa Bean. The Daily Herald stated: "In her first term, Bean has been highly visible in the district and relatively independent. She supports stronger homeland security, safeguards for the environment, tax relief for middle class families, advocacy for small businesses and protections against identity theft. Overall, she has delivered on her promise to provide moderate representation for the 8th District. We believe she’ll do even better in a second term. We endorse Melissa Bean in the 8th Congressional District." ^[1]

On October 19, 2006, the Chicago Tribune endorsed Bean. The Tribune commented: She has delivered. Rep. Bean has recognized the need to listen very carefully to her constituents. She has charted a moderate, independent course and earned the support of Republicans and Democrats. She has been strong on national defense. She is an advocate for small business, gaining her the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ^[2]

On October 25, 2006, the Chicago Sun-Times endorsed Bean. The Sun-Times noted: "She has proved herself a solid, reliably moderate voice in the House since winning a seat the GOP thought it owned. Representing a district with a sizable GOP base, Bean effectively promoted small business interests. She initiated bills to protect children from the increasing threat of online predators and seniors from identity theft. ...Bean has demonstrated that she deserves re-election." ^[3]

On November 7, 2006, Bean defeated her Republican opponent David McSweeney. The results were 51% for Bean to 44% for McSweeney. This came in spite of an aggressive Republican campaign that labeled Bean a "Nancy Pelosi wannabe."

[edit] Opponents

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by Phil Crane	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district 2005-Present	Succeeded by Incumbent