After Illinois Democrat Melissa Bean lost her bid for a fourth House term in the 2010 tea party wave, she rebuffed entreaties by party leaders to run again the following cycle.

Now, 15 years after her defeat, she’s reentering the political fray, hoping to serve as a check on President Donald Trump.

“It’s a time where I think it’s difficult for a lot of people to be on the sidelines and watch what’s happening or not happening in Washington,” she said in an interview.

Bean is one of a few former members who left the House more than a decade ago and are seeking comebacks in next year’s elections.

In Tennessee, Republican Van Hilleary, who vacated his House seat in 2002 for an unsuccessful gubernatorial run and until recently served as chief of staff to Rep. John W. Rose, is seeking to

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