By Adam Studzinski
BLOOMINGTON – Republican 18th Congressional District candidate and State Sen. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) is assuring voters he won’t misuse funds the same way Aaron Schock has been accused of.
LaHood faces Democrat Rob Mellon in September’s special election to replace Schock. LaHood told WJBC people are frustrated over the situation which led to Schock’s resignation in March.
“People want reassurance this is not gonna happen again; somebody that’s going to have some integrity,” said LaHood. “Obviously, the voters are going to make a decision on that, but people have been used to good representation in this district. They’re not used to scandals like have gone on with this.”
Podcast: Listen to LaHood’s full conversation on WJBC.
LaHood stuck by his statement earlier this year that he would not work for President Obama’s administration, unlike his father. Despite this, he said bipartisanship is still a major piece of his campaign.
“You look at my record in the State Senate over the last four-and-a-half years, I’ve been the chief sponsor of about 24-25 ethics and transparency bills that have lots of bipartisan support,” LaHood said.
LaHood added he is not a fan of Donald Trump, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination. LaHood said Trump’s comments over the weekend about U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), in which Trump discredited McCain’s status as a war hero, were “repulsive.”
“Anybody that’s been a prisoner of war, anybody that’s been tortured, anybody that’s fought for our country overseas shouldn’t be treated that way,” said LaHood. “I think we have lots of good candidates running for president. I think we’re up to 14 or 15 that bring a great skill set to the job.”
LaHood said, from a Republican standpoint, the most important quality he’s looking for in the party’s presidential nomination is someone who can beat Hillary Clinton, who he believed will win the Democratic nomination.
Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].
