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?
