Bean shows softer, folksy side in new TV spot
U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean's newest TV commercial is a folksy piece that touts her background as a working mom and former business owner.
The 30-second ad, which launched Thursday, is softer than the congresswoman's first TV piece, a fairly somber spot that focused on the nation's economic crisis.
It will air on the Chicago area's major networks through Election Day, her spokesman said.
Bean, a two-term Democrat from Barrington, is facing Republican challenger Steve Greenberg of Long Grove in the race for the 8th House seat. The district includes parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.
The new ad, which Bean's campaign said had a price tag in the six-figure range, features an interview with the congresswoman and footage of her in the community. As a piano plays gently in the background, she speaks about the need to be responsible with tax dollars and about people's dissatisfaction with partisan politics.
It does not mention Greenberg. Her first TV spot didn't, either.
Bean and her campaign team have all but ignored Greenberg, generally refusing to respond to comments he's made or on many campaign-related news stories.
Instead, she's focused on her record and her goals for the office.
It's the same playbook Bean used during her successful primary campaign against Democratic challenger Randi Scheurer earlier this year.
The new ad debuted the same day Bean filed a new campaign finance report showing she's continuing to far out-raise and outspend Greenberg.
Bean's campaign collected more than $41,000 from Oct. 1 to 15, nearly double Greenberg's total of more than $22,000 during the same period, the Federal Election Commission reports show.
Since the campaign began, Bean has received about $3 million in donations, more than three times Greenberg's estimated total of $856,000.
In the first half of October, Bean spent more than $707,596 on the campaign, dwarfing Greenberg's same-period total of $44,223.
Greenberg, a business owner and former professional athlete, is making his first bid for public office. He's had one TV ad so far, an attack piece that aired on local cable stations.