Northwest suburban voters appeared to again choose a moderate Democrat ― and a familiar one at that ― to succeed five-term incumbent Raja Krishnamoorthi in the 8th Congressional District.
Based on unofficial results Tuesday night, the Associated Press declared Barrington Democrat Melissa Bean the winner in her race to reclaim the Congressional seat she held from 2005 to 2011.
At 8:31 p.m. with 36% of the vote counted, Bean had 66.3% of the total over Republican rival Jennifer Davis of Huntley.
The 8th District includes portions of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties.
The seat was open because Krishnamoorthi decided not to seek reelection and instead run for U.S. Senate. But he lost to Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton in the Democratic primary last March.
Bean, who lost the seat 16 years ago to Joe Walsh, and Davis both ran as moderates in the primary and general elections.
Bean touted her prior experience and accomplishments in Congress. She first won the office by defeating longtime Republican incumbent Phil Crane in 2004. Her later loss to Walsh was by only 291 votes.
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Davis, meanwhile, said her own experience as a lifelong business owner had better prepared her to find practical solutions to the nation’s issues. She is the co-founder and former CEO of an international technology software company and author of the book “Living Exponentially.”
They disagreed on several issues, including improving access to health care and protecting Social Security.
Bean said health care options provided in the Affordable Care Act, which she supported while in Congress, have been endangered during President Donald Trump’s second term. She vowed to continue fighting for the ACA because she believes it protects the health and dignity of all Americans.
Davis argued that giving consumers more options for private health insurance is a better solution than more government. She said the ACA and so-called Medicare for All are not real solutions because they stem from a government mindset that avoids the sustained attention needed to lower costs for people.
When it comes to Social Security, Bean said she sought to protect the solvency of the trust fund during her previous time in Congress. She said she’s deeply opposed to any efforts to privatize Social Security.
If elected, Bean said she would work with colleagues in Congress to identify the most effective options to increase revenue for Social Security while reducing inefficiencies and keeping the system solvent.
Davis said the ongoing Social Security crisis proves that Bean is giving herself too much credit for her previous efforts.
As a business owner who employs hundreds of people locally and in India, Davis said she’s accustomed to finding solutions that don’t include raising taxes or increasing prices for clients.
Davis said she opposes raising taxes on Social Security benefits or on working people. She suggested finding new tools like cryptocurrency to help pay down the debt and strengthen Social Security’s solvency.
Campaign fundraising was another factor that distinguished the candidates.
But the 8th District was the only Congressional race in the North, West and Northwest suburbs where the Republican candidate achieved anything resembling financial parity with the Democratic opponent.
Bean started the third quarter with less than $145,000 in the bank and went on to raise about $351,000, records show. After spending nearly $218,000, her campaign ended the quarter with less than $278,000 on hand and more than $391,000 in debts to the candidate and a vendor.
Davis started July with more than $730,000 in the bank, and her team raised about $237,000 during the quarter, records show. After spending more than $523,000, the Davis campaign ended the quarter with less than $445,000 on hand and more than $1 million in debts to the candidate.