|
|
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
|
Illinois Republican Aaron Schock Has Nothing to Hide
|
|---|
| Parent(s) |
Candidate
|
| Contributor | Imperator |
| Last Edited | Imperator Aug 10, 2013 08:58am |
| Logged |
0
|
| Category | Profile |
| Author | Brendan Greeley |
| News Date | Saturday, August 10, 2013 02:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Members of Congress spend hours every week scrounging up cash from companies and wealthy donors to fund their reelection campaigns. Most view it as a grimy—even shameful—part of the job. Not Aaron Schock. The 32-year-old Republican from Illinois tells potential donors that their check isn’t charity and it’s not a favor; it’s an investment in themselves and pays for something real—getting him and other hardworking Republicans elected to the House. “You’ve got to be unabashed about why the person on the other side of the table is doing the easier part of the job,” he explains. “I’m the one who’s taking four plane rides a week out here. The guy who’s running his business is writing a check.”
This turns out to be an extremely effective pitch. In July, Schock reported he had $2.9 million in his campaign fund—the second-largest bankroll in the U.S. House of Representatives. A lot of that comes from major Illinois companies, including Caterpillar (CAT), Exelon (EXC), and the private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. His seat on the House Committee on Ways and Means, known as a magnet for corporate money, doesn’t hurt. Most of his contributions, though, come not from national political action committees but from smaller businesses and individuals. The only House member who’s raised more money is Republican Representative Dave Camp of Michigan, the 22-year House veteran and Ways and Means chairman, who reported $3 million in funds.
It’s no surprise Camp is awash in cash. He’s heading up a major rewrite of the U.S. tax code, which corporations around the country are trying to influence. Schock is a third-term congressman who doesn’t chair anything. First elected in 2008 at age 27, he’s known if at all outside Washington for causing a minor stir when he bared his impressively sculpted abs on the cover of Men’s Health in 2011. |
| Share |
|
|
2¢
|
|
| Article | Read Full Article |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
|
