Melissa Luburich Bean
Candidate for Illinois 8th Congressional District · Democrat
On the 2026 ballotCandidate · Illinois 8th Congressional District · Nov 3 General
Ballot status source: Illinois State Board of Elections — 2026 General Primary (March 17, 2026) Certified Vote Totals — 8th Congress — 'MELISSA L. BEAN', Democratic, 22,279 votes (31.59%); won D primary · read Sep 24, 2026
Running for Illinois 8th Congressional District, Nov 3 General. The race page has 1 other candidate, 3 certified results. See the race
Roles on File
Seats held and sought, elections and committees, newest first.
- RunningIllinois 8th Congressional DistrictNov 3, 2026 · On the 2026 ballot
The District
What Illinois 8th Congressional District covers
Covers parts of Kane County, Cook County and DuPage County.
Includes Elgin (part), Hoffman Estates (part), Schaumburg, St. Charles (part), Elk Grove Village (part), Palatine (part), Des Plaines (part), Carol Stream (part), Carpentersville, South Elgin, Streamwood (part), South Barrington (part) and 18 more.
432 precincts · District lines: Congressional lines: U.S. Census Bureau (1:500,000 cartographic boundary, 119th Congress) · Precinct lines: Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, Boundaries - Ward Precincts (2023-2024) (data.cityofchicago.org 6piy-vbxa) for the City of Chicago; Cook County Clerk, Suburban Cook Election Precincts - Current (datacatalog.cookcountyil.gov k7sw-w3b8); DuPage County, Election_Precincts layer (gis.dupageco.org, current, retrieved 2026-09-24); U.S. Census Bureau 2020 VTDs elsewhere in Illinois; U.S. Census Bureau 2020 TIGER/Line VTDs where no official layer; Cook County 2020 elections: U.S. Census Bureau 2020 voting districts
Key Votes
The record
Current office: No current elected office (private sector; former U.S. Rep. 2005-2011) · official source not captured
Office per press; official source not captured this pass. Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Ballotpedia · Desk note
Newest first. A close vote was decided by 5% of the votes cast or less (or 10 votes or fewer, under a fifth of the votes). Broke with party: voted against most of their party, where the record gives the party split.
Their Money
Campaign finance
- Last Change
- New finance report · Oct 1
- Raised
- $2,071,076cycle to date through Jun 30
- Cash on Hand
- $144,530cycle to date through Jun 30
- Spent
- $1,926,546cycle to date through Jun 30
- Debts Owed
- $396,373cycle to date through Jun 30
- Next Report Due
- Q3 Report · Oct 15
View on FEC.govFEC, cycle to date through Jun 30, 2026
Top Payees
Who the campaign paid most, as its filing reports it.
- Al Media$553,815.61
- Mission Control Inc$433,763.80
- Magnify Strategies$49,750.00
- The Sexton Group$32,866.30
- Ngp Van$23,813.75
Campaign finance · Melissa Bean For Congress: July Quarterly 2026, through Jun 30, 2026
Jun 30, 2026 · Official · Federal Election CommissionFinance Reports
Campaign finance · Melissa Bean For Congress: July Quarterly 2026, through Jun 30, 2026
Raised $2,071,075.50 this election cycle (as reported) · spent $1,926,545.67 · cash on hand $144,529.83 · debts owed by the committee $396,373.30 — through Jun 30, 2026. Where the money came from (cycle to date, as reported): Individuals $1,451,374.09 (70%); PACs and other political committees $275,750.00 (13%); Candidate contributions $24,000.00 (1%); Candidate loans $299,000.00 (14%); Transfers from authorized committees $11,766.38 (1%); Other receipts (refunds, offsets, other) $9,185.03 (0%). Where it went (itemized operating expenditures this cycle, FEC-processed through Sep 20, 2026): digital $673,771.96; direct mail $444,446.26; polling $76,000.00; general consulting $67,833.84; other $43,061.25; compliance and treasurer $23,250.00.
Jun 30, 2026 · Official · Federal Election Commission
Filings
- Statement of OrganizationFEC · 2026View the Filing
Money shows as the filings named here report it. Payees are who the campaign paid; individual contributors are not shown.
In Their Words
What they have said, on the record
“And, tonight, we begin the work necessary to take our democracy back into our own hands.”
“I want to thank my friends, family and fellow Americans who powered this renewed movement with their unshakable belief that our government belongs to the people.”
“They want to know you're going to know how to get out there and stop the chaos and do something about it.”
“They want someone who's going to hit the ground running, because there's a real urgency about what's going on in this country.”
“There's a lot of pettiness and childishness, and there's some angst and some anger. But anger is not an answer. We need real solutions, and that's what I'm known for. That's my brand, is looking at both opportunities and challenges and coming up with the best way forward, and then helping drive some consensus towards that and getting things done.”
“People are sick of the chaos in Washington. Literally to the person. We need grown ups in the room because [voters] just don't feel like that's existing in Washington.”
Show all 10 statementsShow fewer
“I think you just have to find where the common sense is. Democrats and Republicans are really unhappy about issues of affordability. I don't think those are partisan issues. I think a lot of the things people are concerned about in Washington tends to be very partisan. But I think when you get back and you talk to families, we do care about we care about the same things.”
“I think what [voters] know me as is a problem solver. And that's what we used to do was really look for opportunities for growth and supporting the middle class.”
“I was encouraged to get back in and bring my experience to the table at a really critical time in our nation's history.”
“You could keep throwing your shoe at the television or you can do something about it.”
In the News
Press coverage
- Melissa Bean Wins Illinois Democratic Primary For Her Old U.S. House SeatMar 17, 2026 · Press · HuffPost
- Melissa Bean wins 8th Congressional District primary, moves to reclaim seat she lost 16 years agoMar 17, 2026 · Press · WBEZ Chicago
- Bean: 'We Need Grown Ups in the Room'Mar 12, 2026 · Press · The Illinoize
Headlines link to the original reporting, captured on the date shown.
Reach Them
Websites and accounts
Campaign website capture
Campaign website https://www.melissabeanforcongress.com/ captured 2026-09-24T20:35:29Z (1280x900 viewport, logged-out).
Sep 24, 2026 · Self-published · Campaign website · sourceCampaign website: https://www.melissabeanforcongress.com/
Source: https://www.melissabeanforcongress.com/
Sep 24, 2026 · Self-published · Campaign website · source
The Paper Trail
Filings, results and exhibits
On the ballot: U.S. House, Illinois 8th District · November 3, 2026 general election
Listed as "MELISSA L. BEAN" (DEMOCRATIC) on the IL official election authority certified candidate list for the 2026 General Election (as of read 2026-09-24). Checked 2026-09-24.
Sep 24, 2026 · Official · IL official election authority · sourceU.S. Representative · IL-08
Democrat · Candidate · On the 2026 ballot
Sep 19, 2026 · Official
Not on file for Melissa yet: Advertising. Coverage varies by state and office.
File read Sep 25, 2026. Each item names its source. Record ID p_7d3aj0whh.
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