| Melissa Bean | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Phil Crane |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | February 22 1962 Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Alan Bean |
| Religion | Serbian Orthodox |
Melissa Luburić Bean (born on January 22, 1962), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2004, representing Illinois's 8th congressional district (map). The district includes parts of the northwest Chicago suburbs of Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Palatine and Barrington. Bean graduated from Roosevelt University and lives in Barrington with her husband and two children. Prior to her election to Congress, she was president of a consulting firm, Sales Resources Inc., which counted many Fortune 1000 companies as clients.[1]
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Congressional races
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. Her campaign focus was on lobbyist-funded trips that he had taken. She lost, but gained 43% of the vote. This was unexpected since she had 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 notable since the 8th had reportedly been redrawn to protect the incumbent.
2004
Bean sought a rematch against Crane in the 2004. During the campaign, 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. Although George W. Bush won the district with 56% of the vote--the largest margin of any district in the state--Bean was helped by US Senate candidate Barack Obama who carried the district. She is the first Democrat to represent the district since its formation in 1935 (it was numbered the 10th District from 1935 to 1949, the 13th from 1949 to 1973, the 12th from 1973 to 1993 and the 8th since 1993).[1]
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. As mentioned above, George W. Bush carried the district fairly easily in 2004. Bean's reelection was, in turn, a top priority of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Bean faced the winner of a competitive six-candidate Republican primary, David McSweeney, in the 2006 general election. Bean was endorsed by the Daily Herald, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times and she defeated McSweeney, 51% to 44%.
Positions
Bean is considered a moderate Democrat, especially by Chicago-area Democratic standards. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition, and often touts her independent stance to her constituents. On House votes through the first half of 2006, 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] Bean is the chairwoman of the House Small Business Subcommittee on Tax, Finance and Exports. She is also a member of the Financial Services Committee.
Notes
External links
- U.S. Congresswoman Melissa Bean official House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Melissa Bean profile
- Re-Elect Congresswoman Melissa Bean official campaign site
Articles
- Moothart, Allegra, 10 things about Melissa Bean, US News & World Report, June 16, 2006.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Phil Crane |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 8th congressional district 2005–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
