Melissa Bean
D · U.S. House, IL-8 · Tier 1/2
Tier 1/2, between “Firmly pro-Israel” and “Mainstream pro-Israel”
Former Blue Dog congresswoman (IL-8, 2005–2011) who voted Yea on every Israel roll call checked from her tenure, among them the January 2009 resolution recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, the November 2009 resolution condemning the UN Goldstone report, the 2006 Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act and the 2010 Iron Dome authorization. Asked by WBEZ in February 2026 about aid, conditions, genocide and AIPAC, she gave no yes-or-no answers and said the United States “must continue to stand up for Israel’s right to exist and reject terrorism,” alongside support for “a two-state solution” and for “humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts in Gaza.” JDCA endorses her; WBEZ counted $3.4 million in AIPAC-linked super PAC spending for her ahead of the March primary.
A 1/2, not a clean 1 and not a flat 2. Her House record is reliable pro-Israel support with no daylight — the Cast Lead resolution, the Goldstone condemnation, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, Iron Dome — and her 2026 answer keeps the same frame, declining every yes-or-no question on aid, conditions, genocide and AIPAC. There is no leadership on the issue: none of her 45 sponsored bills concerns Israel, and super PAC spending on her behalf is other people’s backing. Her humanitarian line arrives in the same answer as Israel’s “right to exist and reject terrorism”, a boilerplate pairing that stays at 1/2; the counter-case is a flat 2 reading it, with her wish for both Israelis and Palestinians to “live in peace, safety and dignity”, as concern for civilians. The votes are 16–20 years old and pre-date the genocide.
Open the full card, with votes, money and every source, on elect26 →
elect26 places 2026 midterm candidates on a six-tier spectrum, from 1 (most pro-Israel) to 6 (most critical of Israel).