10 facts about 8th Congressional District candidates

U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is being challenged by activist Randi Scheurer in the Democratic primary for Illinois' 8th Congressional District seat. The two candidates will face off Feb. 5, and the winner will proceed to the general election in November. Here are 10 things you may not have known about each candidate.

Melissa Bean

1. She was born in Chicago in 1962.

2. She has two children, Victoria and Michelle.

3. Before joining Congress, she worked in sales management and founded a consulting firm.

4. She lost to longtime Rep. Phil Crane in 2002 before defeating him in 2004.

5. She and her husband, Alan, have been married for 22 years.

6. She credits her work ethic to her mother and father.

7. Of her parents' four children, she is the oldest.

8. She's lived in Barrington for 19 years.

9. She graduated from Maine East High School in Park Ridge.

10. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of 47 conservative and moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives.

Randi Scheurer

1. She was born in Wanamassa, N.J., in 1951.

2. Her older brother, Russ Layne, is a radio host and jazz musician who knew Bruce Springsteen when both were high school students.

3. Her father was a civilian photographic engineer at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey.

4. She's lived in Lindenhurst for 30 years.

5. She's worked as a writer, artist and educator.

6. A graduate of the State University of New York at Buffalo, she has a bachelor's degree in art with an emphasis on education.

7. Her husband, Bill Scheurer, unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2004 and 2006.

8. She has four children, aged 25 to 32.

9. She's active in the anti-war movement and belongs to groups including Lake Area Peace Partners and Military Families Speak Out.

10. She has three dogs, a cat and freshwater and saltwater fish.