By Eric Stock
PEORIA – There was a rare special election this year to fill a vacancy in Washington after a congressman’s spending and ethics were called into question.
A ‘schocking’ downfall was one of WJBC’s top stories of 2015.
Few seemed to have it as good as Aaron Schock. He was a celebrity congressman first elected at age 27. He was a fundraising machine and was thought to be a rising star in the Republican Party.
“I think the reason I would submit why I have been reelected overwhelmingly each time I’ve run is because at the end of the day, I have delivered for the people of my district,” Schock told a reporter before his demise.
Then came a Washington Post report which revealed a lavish redecoration of his Washington D.C. office in the theme of the television show ‘Downton Abbey.’ Reports later surfaced that Schock had improperly received tens of thousands of dollars in federal reimbursements for travel costs which triggered a federal investigation.
Schock resigned on March 17, though he made no public appearances. The media tracked down his father in Peoria.
“Ten years from now, whatever he is doing he will be successful at, I promise you that,” Richard Schock said. “Two years from now, he’ll be successful, if he’s not in jail.”
A week later Schock gave his farwell on the House floor.
“I leave here with sadness and humility,” Schock stated. “For those whom I’ve let down, I will work tirelessly to make it up to you.”
Schock never specified what he did.
Schock’s resignation led to a special election in a congressional district which Republicans have controlled for generations. State Sen. Darin LaHood of Peoria quickly emerged as the front-runner.
“I always run paranoid and scared in whatever election I’m in,” LaHood said in a WJBC interview when asked about his seemingly inevitable victory. “We’re out there working very hard. We’re not taking anything for granted.”
LaHood won the GOP primary and Quincy history teacher Rob Mellon got the Democratic nod in a rare summer primary in which few people voted. LaHood easily won election to the congressional seat that his father Ray LaHood had occupied for seven terms.
As for Schock, he remains under investigation though no charges have been filed. He has denied any wrongdoing and Politico reports has spent been more than $2 million on lawyers in the case. This while his whereabouts have been largely unknown since he left public life.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
