Former congresswoman Melissa Bean won Tuesday’s Democratic primary election in the eighth district of Illinois, the seat Bean held from 2005 to 2011.
Bean’s name recognition and high-profile endorsements propelled her to victory with help from big-money interest groups supporting Israel and big tech. Her victory in the nine-person primary is something of a win for the Democratic establishment over its progressive wing, which favored Junaid Ahmed in the eighth district.
In an interview with HuffPost last week, Bean said voters appreciated how she served in Congress when Barack Obama was president and Democrats enacted sweeping reforms of the health care and financial industries. And she said voters valued an experienced candidate.
“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,” Bean said. “They want to know you’re going to know how to get out there and stop the chaos and do something about it.”
Bean won endorsements from former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and several other senior Democrats, while Ahmed had the backing of progressive icons such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
