Candidate Facebook Weekend: Schock, Bost, Cross, Topinka, Demmer, Dold, Kirk, Roskam, Mendoza, Rauner, Senger

This is the last weekend recap before tomorrow's General Election here in Illinois.  Let's take a spin around Facebook to see what the candidates were up to in the home stretch!

Congressman Aaron Schock joined Bruce and Diana Rauner and Lt. Governor candidate Evelyn Sanguinetti at a rally downstate.

Congressional candidate Mike Bost spent the weekend contacting voter door-to-door.

Treasurer candidate Tom Cross and Comptroller candidate Judy Baar Topinka joined forces for a tour of the state including a stop in Rockford...

Where they were joined by State Representative Tom Demmer:

Congressional candidate Bob Dold was joined by United States Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Peter Roskam in the 10th District where they helped 'get out the vote' for Dold's campaign:

Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza attended the rugby game at Soldier Field this weekend.  

Governor's candidate Bruce Rauner was joined by a big crowd at a rally in Hickory Hills:

And Congressional candidate Darlene Senger was joined by ILGOP Chairman Tim Schneider at her campaign HQ where volunteers were busy hitting the phones.

Aaron Schock Graces Pages Of People Magazine

The wife of one of the members of the Truth Team (yeah...that's it...his wife!) shared this image with us over the weekend.

In this edition of People Magazine that covers the George Clooney wedding...

There's this photo of Congressman Aaron Schock buddy-ing up with Katie Holmes and Coach Taylor's wife.  

Pretty awesome.

#MostInterestingCongressmanInAmerica

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Bost, Rose, Duffy, Rauner, Hultgren, Schock

Just two Mondays left between now and election day here in Illinois.  And that means...it is time to take a look around Facebook to see what some of the hard-working candidates were up to this weekend.  8 days to go, folks.  Let's win this thing!

Here's the roundup:

Congressional Candidate Mike Bost rode a float and threw out beads at a Mardi Gras parade.  Hurricanes after for the campaign staff, we hope!

State Senator and U of I Alum Chapin Rose was at the Illini vs. Minnesota Homecoming game and he even was able to capture a picture of the (unfortunately) elusive Chief Illiniwek.  We can bet that every alum in Memorial Stadium wishes the Chief was at midfield, not at the top of the Student Section during the three-in-one.

State Senator Dan Duffy was out on the campaign trail with Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner.  Duffy has been doing a great job 'supporting the team' of GOP candidates in Illinois this cycle.

Congressman Randy Hultgren went 'full Griswold' and rocked a white (our preferred version) Blackhawks sweater at the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival Parade.

Congressman Aaron Schock continues to live a *very* interesting life as he spent the weekend at WIU and was able to fire the JROTC cannon at the kickoff of the game.  Pretty sweet.  

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Schock, Bost, Emauel, Schimpf, Rutherford, Kim

Down to the last three Mondays of this election cycle.  And that means this will be our third-to-last Candidate Facebook Weekend recap posts of this political season.

So, let's go around the social network and see what candidates were up to on this important weekend:

Congressman Aaron Schock was getting some sun down in Miami and hanging on South Beach.  On...and he was there to support Carlos Curbelo - a candidate for Congress, too!

Mike Bost tore into the chili at the Mascoutah Chili cook off.  He was all over the place this weekend and he's pushing ahead in the race.  Keep it up, Mike!

With the 'threat level' reduced to almost zero, Da Mare had time to fix up his Facebook profile over the weekend.  

Illinois Attorney General Candidate Paul Schimpf was doing some retail politic'ing at the Bears tailgate at Soldier Field where he met voters and spread his message.

Current Treasurer and former Governor's candidate Dan Rutherford was out raising money and rallied with is running mate Steve Kim at his annual fundraiser.

Congressman Aaron Schock Rocks A Mullet?

From his freshly-launched new campaign site comes this photo:

Who knew?

Business up front, party in the back?

Candidate Facebook Weekend: Bost, Kirk, Cross, Rauner, Mendoza, Schock, Senger

It is Monday and that means one thing here on the Truth Team:  A round-up of what politicians were up to this weekend as posted to their Facebook pages.  Let's get after it:

Congressional candidate Mike Bost welcomed Congressman Mike Conaway to Pinckneyville to talk about agricultural issues.

US Senator Mark Kirk hit the campaign trail to support Tom Cross for Treasurer and Bruce Rauner for Illinois Governor.  These are three guys that Republicans should be proud to be leading our party. They're focusing on the important stuff and things that we can win on:  balanced budgets and cleaning up corruption.

Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza hung out with some of her strongest supporters in the 29th Ward and drank some purple soda.  We prefer the orange Faygo, Susana!  But...glad to see her out and about working hard to get re-elected.

Congressman Aaron Schock took some time away from his #Crossfit workout to to do something super important:  honoring 'Central Illinois Gold Star Families'.  Schock has been on a military kick lately and we're impressed to see him stand so strongly in support of our armed forces.  Good on you, Congressman!

Congressional candidate Darlene Senger was out at the Plainfield Homecoming Parade and despite the 40-degree temperatures, she didn't wear any earmuffs.  (But...we got reports from some folks that other candidates at the very same parade were rockin' Mike Frerichs' favorite headgear!)

Congressman Aaron Schock *Is* Rambo!?!

From his Facebook wall:

Challenged by cadets at West Point to complete the Combat Water Survival Lab which is their toughest requirement for graduation. The associated press describes it as "Perhaps the mother of all swim tests – Survival Gate # 4 – can be found at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Weighed down by heavy equipment, cadets must perform several tasks in a pool amid simulated battlefield chaos. Artificial fog, rain, and deafening noise are pumped in, darkness is punctuated only by strobe lights, and the water is churned by artificial wave makers.” #almostdrowned #goarmy

Kaifesh Campaign Secures Congressional Endorsements In Battle With Duckworth

The folks over at the Illinois Review have been doing important work for all voters in the Western Suburbs as they've been all over the Larry Kaifesh campaign for the better part of the last year.  They've chronicled every move as he's waged a good campaign to take on incumbent Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth.

This race hasn't quite broken through the chatter level in politics here in Illinois, but Kaifesh has waged a dignified campaign and is doing the right things to try to win in November.

The Illinois Review has been there every step.

Their latest scoop is that Kaifesh has picked up some endorsements from folks that know what it takes to do the job:  fellow Illinois congressmen including Peter Roskam, John Shimkus, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger and Aaron Schock:

United States Marine Colonel Larry Kaifesh, the Republican Candidate for Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District, has landed the endorsement of members of the Republican Congressional delegation from Illinois, including Congressmen Peter Roskam, John Shimkus, Randy Hultgren, Adam Kinzinger, and Aaron Schock. He also announced the endorsement of Illinois State Senator Dan Duffy. 

“Larry knows how to win big by winning in the neighborhoods, by being in the precincts, by talking to voters,” said Congressman Hultgren. 

"Larry's distinguished military service career in both Iraq and Afghanistan and his deep roots in the district ensure he'll be ready on day one to fight for the issues Illinois families care about: good paying jobs, a stronger economy, and true healthcare reform that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not some government bureaucrat," said Congressman Peter Roskam. "Voters of the Eighth District should send Larry to Congress and send a clear message to Democrats in Springfield and Washington. Failed Democrat policies don't work for the Eighth District.”

Congressman Aaron Schock Takes ALS Challenge - Challenges Donald Trump

In one of the better videos done by a politician, Congressman Aaron Schock took the ALS Challenge...make that the ALS Plunge.  Good on Schock for really getting into it.

A note to you staffers out there:  See how Schock's team took the video in landscape mode?  Not portrait?  Umm...that's the way you're supposed to shoot video, folks.  The rest of you look silly with your little black bars on the side of the video.

Get Out And Support *Your* Candidates This 4th of July

The Truth Team will be heading off to the deep Northwoods of Wisconsin for a few days this weekend so we won't be there, but we encourage you to get after it by supporting your candidates in parades this Independence Day holiday.

There's no better way to demonstrate your committment to their campaign (well...maybe knocking on doors is...) than walking in a parade.

Here's a few that you can get involved with:

Ron Sandack - State Representative:

Post by Ron Sandack.

Congressman Aaron Schock will be out and about including this parade:

Post by Aaron Schock.

Congressman Aaron Schock's Bet Pays Off: New Senior Deputy Whip Gig

Congressman Aaron Schock was working against his fellow member of the Illinois Congressional Delegation Peter Roskam last week in his bid to become the House GOP Whip.  Schock was with the guy from Louisiana.

There was plenty of speculation about what Schock was angling for in return for his loyalty.  Most folks thought he was going to get the plum job that Roskam was vacating:  Chief Deputy Whip.

Nope.  Schock didn't get that.  But he did get the next best thing.

From Lynn Sweet:

Incoming House Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., is replacing Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., as chief deputy whip, tapping Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., for the post. Roskam, currently the chief deputy whip, lost his own bid to move up to the whip post last week with the Scalise victory. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., an active Scalise supporter, was named by Scalise to be a senior deputy whip.

We have to think that this isn't the real 'prize' in Schock's mind.  He's thinking bigger.  As in Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.  That's where the money is...

Congressman Aaron Schock Shows Mike Frerichs How It is Done with Habitat For Humanity

Congressman Aaron Schock took a break from his amazing Instagram life to lend a hand with a local Habitat for Humanity home build.

And guess what?  He actually got involved.  He rolled up his sleeves, wore work clothes and actually swung a hammer.  Good on him.

Pics to prove it happened from Schock's Facebook Wall:

Why is this even worth mentioning?  Because...Congressman Aaron Schock did what almost EVERYONE would do in this situation:  show up in the right clothes and get involved.

What did Democrat Candidate for Illinois Treasurer Mike Frerichs do when he had the same situation?  He used the disaster in his hometown and the Habitat for Humanity build as a photo opportunity and a chance to 'post this on Facebook' by showing up in a suit.  And wingtips.

Yes.  A suit.  At a Habitat for Humanity Build.

Talk about a guy who is totally out of touch with reality.  And he wants to be our State Treasurer?  Come on.

We're calling this #SuitGate.  Check out the full details and background here.  Or, start where it all began with Frerichs Facebook post showing him in a suit here.

Aaron Schock: "Nobody talks about my city that way! Chairman Levin's ass is grass!"

Play that clip up there.  Go ahead.  It is only a few seconds.  We'll wait.

Ok...you're back?  Great.  

That's how we picture Congressman Aaron Schock reacting this week.

Why?  Because Congressman Schock is standing up for his hometown:  The City of Caterpillar.

From the Illinois Review:

Congressman Aaron Schock defended the biggest manufacturer in his district Tuesday after Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) scalded Peoria's Caterpillar during a Senate investigative panel. 

“I am unimpressed with Chairman Levin’s inquisition today, and with the partisan report he issued targeting a great American company like Caterpillar. Caterpillar’s effective tax rate of 29 percent far exceeds that paid by many other U.S. companies who escape the politicized investigations of Chairman Levin. And if compared to General Motors effective rate of zero, serious questions arise about the motive and methodology behind Chairman Levin’s one-sided investigation.

“The demonization of a great American company that is under constant IRS audit and remains in full compliance with U.S. tax law is beneath the dignity of the United States Congress, though I am thankful that Chairman Levin’s efforts do little to undermine American confidence in Caterpillar’s reputation or its more than 118,000 employees worldwide. The lasting reputation of Chairman Levin and his committee, on the other hand, may be another story.

Good for Aaron Schock.  Glad to see he's standing up for the company town.  If he doesn't, who will?

Aaron Schock Was the Belle of the Ball At Annual NRCC "Mega" Dinner

Peoria's Congressman Aaron Schock isn't slowing down on his ascent into national GOP politics.  

Last night, he Chaired the biggest fundraising event for the National Republican Congressional Committee and according to Lynn Sweet, he delivered:

Shock R-Ill. chaired the mega National Republican Congressional Committee fundraising dinner on Wednesday night, hauling in $15.1 million for House races and boosting his national profile in the process. Schock raised $2 million of that total. I'm told that was more than anyone--except House Speaker John Boehner R-Ohio.
...Politico said in a story about Schock and the NRCC dinner that the dinner is "a particularly important moment for Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) — the dinner’s chairman — as he becomes a more and more prominent figure in the Republican Party. The sum shows he can pull in big money for the GOP." 

The Hill said the $15.1 million was "an increase from the $14.1 million the dinner brought in last year, and a win for Rep. Aaron Schock (Ill.), chairman of this year’s dinner. He personally pledged to raise $2 million for the dinner, and NRCC Chairman Greg Walden (Ore.) praised his hard work on the fundraiser."

Congressman Aaron Schock Endorses Tom Cross for Illinois Treasurer

GOP National Star and Peoria Congressman Aaron Schock has already come out and endorsed Doug Truax for the GOP nomination for the United State Senate (in the race against Jim Oberweis) but now he's also standing up for another Statewide candidate.  This time, it is Republican Candidate for Treasurer Tom Cross.

Cross and Schock go back aways with Tom Cross - the the head of the House Republicans - supporting candidate Aaron Schock in his first bid for State Representative.

From the endorsement:

“Illinois needs leaders we can trust and I trust Tom Cross. Tom has been a strong advocate for Central Illinois and has led the effort to support key job creation initiatives for our region while ensuring our schools and universities receive their fair share of state investment,” said Schock. “Tom is running for treasurer because he wants to restore trust, protect taxpayers and make a real, serious difference in the lives of our state’s citizens.”

The Congressman Schock endorsement is the latest in a string of Central Illinois elected officials backing Tom Cross and should help bolster the Cross for Treasurer campaign in and around Peoria. You can go over to the Tom Cross for Treasurer site to read the full list of Central Illinois endorsements.  

Aaron Schock Endorses Doug Truax for US Senate

In the uphill - but worthwhile battle to beat out Jim "The Milkman" Oberweis for the right to take on Dick Durbin as the GOP Nominee for United States Senate, challenger Doug Truax has picked up some new support from one of the GOP leaders in Illinois:  Congressman Aaron Schock.

From the Sun-Times:

Congressman Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, put his support behind Republican candidate Doug Truax in the U.S. Senate Republican primary, Truax’s campaign announced today. 

Truax is going up against state Sen. Jim Oberweis, R-Sugar Grove, who so far has significantly more name recognition and money.

“Doug Truax represents the type of young and energetic leader Republicans want to embrace. Truax has fresh ideas to shrink government and grow the economy and a strong work ethic to carry those ideas through,” Schock said in a statement. “Doug Truax has served our nation in the military and is ready to serve our nation in the U.S. Senate. As a businessman he brings an understanding of the private sector and deep expertise on health care. As a family man he is rooted in tried and true conservative principles.”

Unless we want the ultimate "1 Percenters" at the top of the GOP Ticket in the fall, we should rally behind Doug Truax.  

Aaron Schock And the Company Town

Is it any wonder that back when Congressman Aaron Schock was running for State House that he beat Ricca Slone?   After all, she drove a Volvo.  In Peoria.

Say what you will about his wardrobe (and...we here at the Truth Team tend to fall on the said of 'admiration' for whatever it is worth), Aaron Schock always remembers that Peoria - the gravitational center of his Congressional District - is a 'Company Town'.

Take a look at his latest Facebook post:

That ain't no Volvo.  Good on him for rocking the Cat.  We might be the only ones, but...we're impressed that he knows how to 'operate the equipment'.  (pun intended)

Gawker Covers the Dan Rutherford 'Story'

Nothing like a little innuendo about a politician and his aide to get the fine folks over at Gawker's attention, right?  While they get plenty of stuff wrong (like linking the travel aide and the guy who resigned), and we don't think it breaks any new ground, with the national media readership of Gawker itself, the piece is certainly to elevate the next round of stories (if there are any) into the national media conscious.  That is a big if, we suppose.

Gawker started the story with mostly the facts:

In late January, Rutherford announced that an unnamed staffer was threatening to go public with claims of sexual harassment. (The treasurer attributed the threat, which was delivered by a lawyer speaking on behalf of the staffer, to a political opponent.) Two days later the Sun-Timesreported that the staffer in question was a man and had resigned from Rutherford’s office, citing the “intimidating news conference” at which the treasurer announced his threat to go public.

From there, it winds through the scenario and (we think, admittedly) the reporter is fuzzy on some of the facts.

But as you'd suspect, the comments at Gawker didn't really focus on the politics and the facts of the case.  Rather...they chimed in on the important stuff: Dan Rutherford's wardrobe.

The pleated khakis got a lot of play.  So, too, did Dan Rutherford's fanny pack.  If this is the worst of the fallout from Dan's Facebook timeline, then that's not too terrible, we think.

And...even Congressman Aaron Schock even got hit with some collateral comments.

Don't hate on the pants, folks.

Aaron Schock: The Grand Old Party Builder

Congressman Aaron Schock, who has no primary opponent in the upcoming elections in March is looking to move beyond his recent news cycle (no...not that one.  This one.) by stepping up and doing some of the heavy lifting for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Lynn Sweet - who we adore for her tough, smart insider coverage - has the story of Schock taking on the Chairmanship of the annual NRCC Fundraising dinner in DC.

Rep. Aaron Schock R-Ill. is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee March fundraising dinner here, one of the major events to raise campaign cash for the House GOP political operation. Schock faces no opponent in the March Illinois primary, leaving him free to work on the March 26 dinner. Schock already raised $1.1 million for the dinner, the NRCC said on Tuesday, and pledged to raise another $1 million by March 26. 

“Aaron Schock is a bright young leader, one of the hardest working Members in the House and committed to growing our majority,” said NRCC Chairman Greg Walden said in a statement. 

“I can’t think of a more qualified person to head up this vital effort, and he has already hit the ground running. The stakes this November are high. Nancy Pelosi and her special interest friends will stop at nothing to regain complete liberal control of Washington. With Aaron’s leadership, we can help provide the resources to fight back.”

Let's be honest about this stuff, folks.  Fundraising is the lifeblood of a political animal.  If you can raise money, you can win.  If you can't, then you'll have a lot tougher time.

Aaron Schock has proven himself to be a very formidable fundraiser. He's gotten into a little bit of muck with it, but that is just part of being a prolific fundraiser.   (If you're interested in following along with a local look at Schock, you can do yourself a favor and start following the "Aaron Schock" Tag at the Peoria Pundit.)

And he's raising money, not just for himself, but for other candidates.  You know who else took this path?  Da Mare.   He understood that by working on behalf of President Clinton and then the Democrats in Congress, he could build a strong network of donors that reached far beyond his district.  Look where it got him. (having a brother calling the shots in LA didn't hurt, either we suspect...)

We were hopeful that Aaron Schock would have joined the Illinois Governor's race, but when he passed, we figured he had another plan in mind.  It can't be so bad, being a big shot for the NRCC, but will that be enough for Schock?

Good Guy Aaron Schock - and Good Guy Rocky Wirtz - Deliver $200K for Washington Storm Victims

We saw this story over on Illinois Review about Congressman Aaron Schock doing his part to deliver for his district by doing a great job of supporting the community in Washington.

They included a line about a $200K donation.  We thought that was interesting.  Turns out, with a little bit of digging, turns out that the $200K came from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Congressman Schock and Washington Mayor Gary Manier are especially grateful to the Chicago Blackhawks Charities, which has announced that it will generously donate $200,000 to help underwrite the cost of this luncheon and help the victims and their families recover from this tragedy. “Illinois is our home, and when one of our communities suffers a loss as tragically as the people of Washington did, we want to do all that we can to help them,” said Rocky Wirtz, Chairman of the Chicago Blackhawks. 

This is EXACTLY what a good, committeed Congressman should do.  Good on you, Congressman Aaron Schock.  Marshaling resources to help people in trouble is an example of the best work our elected officials can do.   There are others in DC that would have been THERE (in DC) over the weekend.  Where was Congressman Aaron Schock?  At home, in his District.