| Aaron Schock | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ray LaHood |
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Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from the 92nd district |
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| In office January 12, 2005 – January 3, 2009 |
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| Preceded by | Ricca Slone |
| Succeeded by | Joan Krupa[1] |
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President of the Peoria School Board
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| In office 2004–2005 |
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Member of the Peoria School Board
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| In office 2001–2005 |
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| Born | May 28, 1981 [2] Morris, Minnesota[2] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Peoria, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Bradley University |
| Religion | Conservative Baptist[3] |
| Website | schock.house.gov |
Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 18th district of Illinois. The district is based in Peoria and also includes part of Springfield. The area had once been represented by Abraham Lincoln, when it was numbered as the 7th district.[citation needed]
Prior to his election, Schock was a school board member in Illinois and later president of the board.[2] Schock was the youngest member of the Illinois House of Representatives and has assumed this position again as the youngest member of the U.S. House in the 111th Congress. Schock is also the first member of the United States Congress born in the 1980s.
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Schock was born in Morris, Minnesota on May 28, 1981,[2][4][5] and lived nearby until fifth grade. His father was a physician in Morris.[6] The family eventually moved to Peoria, Illinois.
According to the Washington Post, Schock grew up on a farm with his brother and two sisters.[5] He graduated from Peoria's Richwoods High School.
Schock's political career began because of his challenge of his local school board for the right to graduate early.[7] In 2001, Schock was elected a member of the Peoria Public Schools school board at the age of 19, making him the youngest person serving on a school board in Illinois.[5][6] As a write-in candidate, he defeated the incumbent school board president, Rhonda Hunt by 1,942 votes. After two years on the board, his fellow board members elected him vice president of the board, and a year later, unanimously elected him school board president, making him, at 23, the youngest school board president in history, according to his campaign web site.[8]
Schock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University[2] in 2002[5][8]
At the age of 23, Schock ran for state representative in his district and defeated Ricca Slone, an eight-year incumbent Democrat, making him the youngest member of the Illinois House of Representatives.[6][8] In his first five months in office, Schock was able to work 11 of the bills he authored to passage, and got 18 bills he sponsored passed since taking office. These bills dealt with a series of education reforms, several child protection initiatives, prescription drug savings, veterans' assistance, road construction, and a bill to combat high-tech identity theft, the first of its kind in the nation.[citation needed]
Schock was elected to succeed retiring incumbent Republican congressman Ray LaHood in the 2008 election, defeating Democrat Colleen Callahan and Green Party candidate Sheldon Schafer. The head of the Illinois Republican Party noted Schock's ability to win despite Illinois' Barack Obama riding to victory on the same ballot and the state Republican Party's receiving no financial support from the national party.[9]
In his speech announcing his candidacy for Congress, Schock suggested that the U.S. sell nuclear weapons to Taiwan if the People's Republic of China failed to follow U.S. policy in Iran,[10] saying "Non-proliferation will either be enforced universally or not at all—it is their choice. The Chinese will come around, I have no doubt."[11] He later rescinded his statement.[10]
Schock easily won the Republican primary in February 2008, with 72% of the vote, beating his opponents Jim McConoughey (16%) and John Morris (12%).[12][13]
Schock drew mixed reaction in late July 2008 when he brought President George W. Bush to Peoria to raise money for the congressional campaign. The city of Peoria provided 38 police officers, 30 city trucks for temporary security barriers, and a number of firefighters, spending $38,252 to facilitate the visit, even though it was a private, paid-admission fundraiser. When requests to compensate the city increased, Schock called it "obviously a political move" and compared the issue to Barack Obama's endorsement of another state senator on the courthouse steps a few years before, which the city did not request compensation for.[14] A city councilman cited an ordinance against political activity by the city, but the mayor of Peoria said the ordinance didn't apply, and also called the requests "political rhetoric". Schock later said he would reimburse the city voluntarily, referring to payment for presidential protection as "unprecedented".[15]
Schock won the November 4 general election with 59% of the vote.[16] Upon taking his seat in Congress, at the age of 27, he became the youngest member of Congress, supplanting 33-year-old Patrick T. McHenry of North Carolina,[17] and the first member of the United States Congress born in the 1980s.[18] On taking office, he also became only the fifth person to serve the district since 1933.
In the same election, Democrat Jehan A. Gordon won Schock's 92nd Representative District seat in the Illinois House of Representatives. However, on Schock's advice, the Republican Party appointed Joan Krupa to fill out the 9 remaining days on Schock's state legislative term before Gordon took office.[1]
Schock requested and was given three committee assignments, which is unusual for a first-term congressman.[19][20] In addition, he was appointed by Minority Whip Eric Cantor to be a deputy minority whip.[19] He serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology of the Small Business Committee. Soon after being sworn in, he joined the Republican Study Committee.
Schock is considered to be more conservative than his two moderate[21] predecessors, Congressmen Bob Michel and Ray LaHood.[22][23] The Chicago Tribune has described Schock's political positions to be fiscally conservative and somewhat moderate on social issues.[24]
Schock voted against amending federal hate crimes laws to include crimes where the victims were targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability.[25]
In August 2009, the Law Library of Congress issued a controversial and disputed[26] legal opinion report titled Honduras: Constitutional Law Issues that had been commissioned by Schock. It featured a legal analysis of the 2009 Honduran constitutional crisis with a specific examination of the legality of President Manuel Zelaya's 28 June 2009 removal from office and expatriation.[27] After the report was issued, Schock argued that the Obama Administration should change its policy towards Honduras by resuming suspended aid and recognizing the upcoming November 29 elections, based on the contents of the report.[28]
On December 15, 2009, during a discussion on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Schock argued for the use of torture by U.S. forces if it meant attaining "information that can save American lives" in a "ticking time bomb" scenario or other critical situation.[29]
Schock has received an unusual amount of coverage for a freshman congressman.[19] This treatment is based in part on his youth and physical attractiveness, and in part on his work ethic.[19] An example of the former is a February 4, 2009 reader poll on the The Huffington Post, in which Schock was selected "hottest freshman" congressperson.[30] Schock has been frequently targeted by TMZ reporters since his arrival in Washington[31][32]; he has also appeared on The Colbert Report, where Stephen Colbert, making fun of the TMZ reports, "grilled" Schock about his "six-pack abs."[33]
On September 24, 2009, the FBI Anti-Terrorism Task Force arrested Michael Finton in downtown Springfield, Illinois after Finton attempted to bomb the Paul Findley Federal Building and the adjacent Springfield office of Congressman Schock. The man drove a truck filled with what he believed to be "a ton of explosives" to the federal building, then drove away with an undercover FBI Agent and tried to detonate the dummy explosives via cell-phone. The man was arrested and placed in federal custody on charges of terrorism and attempting to kill a federal employee.[34]
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ray LaHood |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 18th congressional district 2009–Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Patrick McHenry |
Youngest member of the United States House of Representatives 2009-Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
   | Aaron Schock TV ad on You Tube - YouTube - Aaron Schock's TV Ad |
| | 2006 - Follow The Money | SCHOCK, AARON |
| | 2004 - Follow The Money | SCHOCK, AARON |
| | Bills - Illinois General Assembly |
| | Committees - Illinois General Assembly - Representative Committees |
| | Illinois General Assembly - Representative Aaron Schock (R) 92nd District - Illinois General Assembly - Representative Biography |
| | Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock (IL) - Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock - Biography |
| | Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock (IL) - Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock - Biography |
| | Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock (IL) - Project Vote Smart - Representative Aaron Schock - Biography |
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