Raja Krishnamoorthi

Former Rep. Melissa Bean is expected to defeat Republican nominee Jennifer Davis for Illinois’ 8th Congressional District, NBC News is projecting.

Bean, who was defeated in her reelection bid to Congress in 2010 amid a wave of criticism of her votes on the Affordable Care Act, will return to the House 16 years later as she replaces Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who didn’t seek reelection as he instead ran for the Democratic Senate primary.

Stream NBC 5 for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

NOTE: You can get up-to-the-minute results here.

The district, which includes parts of West Dundee, South Elgin, Des Plaines and Carol Stream, was once a solid Republican district, and while it’s since flipped into the Democratic column, it is considered more independent than many districts in Illinois.

Now Bean will be headed back to Washington after defeating Davis and independent candidate Christopher Krumpack.

Bean says her experience of running and losing after passage of the ACA showed the power of narrative to sway public opinion, even if that narrative was inaccurate.

“It was a tough year that year,” she said. “Democrats got wiped out, and Republicans were using sort of ridiculous attacks on it, like death panels and such, which were never true.”

Bean is focused on restoring funding that has been withheld by the Trump administration, and on helping voters feel confident that their votes are being tabulated accurately in elections.

“We’ve got to restore some funding, and one of the bills I’m focused on is my (“My Vote’s Been Counted”) bill, where everyone can use current technology like you use at a bank and look up a deposit, you can look up their vote.”

Bean has said she hears from potential constituents about their desires, and that while some in the Democratic party want to again try to impeach President Donald Trump, her supporters have told her something different.

“We’ve had two impeachments. I’m sure there are some who want that to be the top of the order, but what I’m hearing from people is they want us to do the work,” she said.

Bean hopes she will be part of a Congressional majority for Democrats, who are hoping to pick up enough seats to take control of the House and to serve as a counterweight to the Trump administration.