Illinois election in U.S. House 8th District could return Melissa Bean to Congress to replace Raja Krishnamoorthi

Illinois voters are deciding if they will return Democrat Melissa Bean to Congress as she faces Republican Jennifer Davis to fill the 8th District U.S. House seat opened when Rep. Raja Kirshnamoorthi lost the primary for Senate.

Bean previously represented the 8th District from 2005 to 2011. She lost the 2010 election to Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh, who served one term before he lost to Tammy Duckworth in 2012. Duckworth is now a U.S. Senator for Illinois.

Bean subsequently worked as CEO of local business forum Executives' Club of Chicago, and as an executive for JP Morgan Chase. 

She faces Republican Jennifer Davis, a mother of 10 and tech entrepreneur, who partially campaigned on bringing artificial intelligence expertise to Congress.

The 8th District covers parts of Cook, DuPage and Kane counties, including the north and northwest suburbs of Schaumburg, Elgin, Hoffman Estates, St. Charles, Des Plaines and West Dundee.

Krishnamoorthi was first elected to Congress in 2016. He ran in the crowded Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Illinois after longtime Sen. Dick Durbin announced his retirement, but lost to Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.