Meet Melissa!
A proven leader.
Melissa Bean is a proven leader for Illinois’ 8th District. Whether in her three terms serving in the US House of Representatives, in her leadership roles in business, or as a leader in her community – Melissa has always been nown for getting things done and delivering real results. She’s running to bring those values back to Congress.
Rooted in family, hard work, and service.
Melissa grew up in Des Plaines, Illinois – where her parents instilled in her the value of work ethic and service. Melissa’s father was a small business owner, and she and her siblings were raised to work hard. She held multiple jobs while attending Maine East High School, and earned degrees from both Oakton Community College and Roosevelt University.
Melissa’s father was also a Marine Raider who served in the Pacific during World War II, exemplifying commitment to country – another core value that Melissa has carried with her throughout her life.
Melissa used these values as a guiding compass as she raised two daughters and built a successful career working across the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Champion for working families.
Melissa is a proud wife and a mother of two amazing daughters. She first ran for Congress because she wanted to build a better world for her two daughters to inherit – cleaner air and water, better schools, safer communities. Those values were her North Star when she got to Congress.
Melissa represented Illinois’ 8th District for three terms and was part of a Democratic majority that worked to deliver real results. During both Republican and Democratic administrations, Melissa was committed to working across the aisle to find common sense solutions to the challenges facing working families. She is immensely proud to have helped pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, Wall Street Reforms, and Obamacare – legislation that continues to make a real difference in the lives of families across the 8th District.
Driven by courage.
Melissa lost her re-election in 2010 because she voted for Obamacare. She knew the risk she was taking, but she knew that fighting to give millions of Americans access to healthcare was the right decision. And she would do it again. That’s how Melissa has always strived to lead – with courage. But courage seems to be in short order these days.
Under the Trump Administration, the American Dream has slipped almost entirely out of reach and American Values are under assault. Our first amendment freedoms are being attacked daily and so many find themselves looking at a country they no longer recognize.
Our founders intended for there to be a separation of powers, and they limited the Executive branch, giving the power of the purse, taxation, tariffs, and war to Congress. Unfortunately, today’s Congressional Republicans are nowhere to be found. They’ve abdicated their Constitutional authority, disregarded their duty to the American people, and allowed the President to run the country by executive fiat.
Melissa knows firsthand that government can be better than this. She’s running to help restore the balance of powers and to be part of a majority that will once again deliver results for working families and bring progress back to Congress.
Fighting for you.
Along with being a check on this rogue administration and absent Republican majority, Melissa is running to be a fighter for working families and to deliver on a bold vision of restoring the American Dream and American values. She’s got big plans to bring opportunity back to America, including her Empowering Young Americans Plan to restore the lower rungs on the ladder of economic mobility.
Just like Melissa has always done, she plans to listen, learn, problem solve, collaborate, write, amend, and pass legislation that centers on your priorities. From home ownership to healthcare, business ownership to retirement, and the wellbeing of future generations and the planet – Melissa plans to hit the ground running on day one to get to work delivering for you.