# Melissa Bean

Democrat

IL-8

Mar 17, 2026 primary: [won ↗](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Illinois)

FEC candidate H2IL08088 · [FEC.gov ↗](https://www.fec.gov/data/candidate/H2IL08088/) · [JSON](https://whovotedwhy.com/data/candidates/H2IL08088.json) · [Report an error](mailto:hello@jonasneves.com?subject=WhoVotedWhy%20correction%3A%20candidate%20H2IL08088&body=Row%20or%20page%3A%20candidate%20H2IL08088%0AWhat%20is%20wrong%3A%0APrimary%20source%20that%20shows%20it%3A%0A)

$1.1M

spent supporting

$0

spent opposing

## On AI, in their own words

Quoted from [Issues — Melissa Bean for Congress (campaign site)](https://www.melissabeanforcongress.com/issues). Reviewed Oct 22, 2026.

-   “Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool that can drive economic growth, optimize healthcare and education tools, and strengthen American competitiveness—if the United States leads with innovation and responsibility.”
-   “Champion U.S. leadership in AI by investing in research, workforce development, and public-private partnerships”
-   “Encourage responsible AI adoption across industries to improve efficiency and create good-paying jobs”
-   “Establish clear rules that protect rights and safety without hampering innovation or driving talent overseas”
-   “Hold tech companies accountable for harmful practices”

Quotes from the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI)' section of the issues page; the last quote is from the 'Digital Safety for Kids' section of the same page. Page carries no publication date.

## By committee

| Committee | Network | Position | Total |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Think Big | Leading the Future | For | $1.1M |

## Filings

4 periodic-report lines and 0 24/48-hour notices. A notice is restated on the next periodic report, so the two lists overlap; the totals above count each dollar once.

| Date | Committee | For/against | Purpose | Payee | Amount | Filing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Apr 10, 2026 | Think Big | For | SMS / MMS MESSAGIMG | Lantern Production Consultants LLC | $23K | report[↗](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202605209870102193) |
| Feb 17, 2026 | Think Big | For | SMS / MMS MESSAGING | Lantern Production Consultants LLC | $5K | report[↗](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202604229866668021) |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Think Big | For | DIGITAL ADVERTISING / PRODUCTION | Lantern Production Consultants LLC | $556K | report[↗](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202604229866668021) |
| Feb 13, 2026 | Think Big | For | DIGITAL ADVERTISING / PRODUCTION | Lantern Production Consultants LLC | $556K | report[↗](https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?202604229866668020) |

▸Citing this page

The headline figure is $1.1M for, $0 against.

Per-committee totals are FEC's own aggregate for this candidate and committee in the 2026 cycle, restricted to the committees listed in super\_pacs.json.

Primary source: [FEC Schedule E filings via OpenFEC](https://www.fec.gov/data/independent-expenditures/?candidate_id=H2IL08088). The rows behind this page are [outside\_spending\_totals.json](https://whovotedwhy.com/data/outside_spending_totals.json), read 2026-10-23; the [manifest](https://whovotedwhy.com/data/index.json) carries the commit and checksums.

-   Other committees may also be spending in this race; only the listed AI networks are counted here.
-   Notices and reports overlap; do not sum the filing lines.

Suggested wording: “according to FEC Schedule E filings via OpenFEC, compiled by WhoVotedWhy as of 2026-10-23”. Cite the filing or roll call for the event and this site for the selection and totals.

Something wrong? [Report an error](mailto:hello@jonasneves.com?subject=WhoVotedWhy%20correction%3A%20candidate%20H2IL08088&body=Row%20or%20page%3A%20candidate%20H2IL08088%0AWhat%20is%20wrong%3A%0APrimary%20source%20that%20shows%20it%3A%0A) with the row id; corrections are logged in [overrides.json](https://whovotedwhy.com/data/overrides.json).