Jacobs joins race to unseat Bean

A second Republican has entered the race to unseat three-term Democrat Melissa Bean in the U.S. House.

Greg Jacobs, a 57-year-old retired Cook County sheriff's deputy from Mundelein, said he'll run in 2010 because he's dissatisfied with the current state of the nation.

He said he hopes to get support from "the average person in the 8th District."

Jacobs joins Barrington resident John Dawson in the Republican hunt for the 8th District post, which serves parts of Cook, Lake and McHenry counties. Dawson is a former Crystal Lake High School District 155 board member who owns a home building and remodeling company.

Bean, who joined Congress in 2005, crushed GOP challenger Steve Greenberg of Long Grove in their 2008 showdown. Billing herself as a moderate Democrat, Bean held onto the seat by promoting her record, talking about the nation's economic woes and largely ignoring her poorly-funded Republican opponent.

Bean, of Barrington, will seek re-election in 2010, a spokesman said.

Jacobs has never run for public office before. He's an author and a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy and Army.

He said he opposes the cap-and-trade energy plan and President Obama's health-care reform plan but supports the right to legally own guns, all traditional Republican stances. He also supports abortion rights and backs gay marriage, opinions that run counter to the GOP platform.

Jacobs said he has not started raising money for the campaign ahead but will. He hasn't filed campaign disclosure paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

He has not yet launched a campaign Web site but said he has a Facebook account.