CHICAGO (AP) — Voters head to the polls across a large swath of central Illinois Thursday to replace ex-U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, who resigned following a scandal over his spending, including lavishly redecorating his Washington, D.C., office in the style of the “Downton Abbey” TV show.
The rare September special election pits Republican state Sen. Darin LaHood of Peoria, the son of a former congressman and Obama administration Cabinet member, against Democrat Rob Mellon, a teacher from Quincy.
Here’s a profile of the contest and the contestants:
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WHY NOW?
Schock, a Republican now under federal investigation, stepped down in the middle of his fourth term. Gov. Bruce Rauner ultimately picked a general election date just three days after Labor Day.
It’ll be the only election in the country that night, with the winner restoring the number of U.S. House members to a full 435.
Turnout is expected to be low across the 19 counties the district touches. Election officials in some of those counties have demanded that Schock pay the tab for the election.
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WHO ARE THE CANDIDATES?
LaHood is the son of former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican who previously held a congressional seat in the central Illinois region.
The younger LaHood, a former prosecutor appointed to the state Senate in 2011, easily won the July primary over writer Michael Flynn, who helped found a conservative website with late commentator Andrew Breitbart, and State Farm employee Donald Rients. Both of them portrayed LaHood as a hand-picked establishment candidate.
LaHood, 47, portrayed himself as more conservative than his father, who had agreed to cross party lines and serve under a Democratic president.
Mellon, a 44-year-old Army veteran, lost an attempt to win his party’s nomination in 2014. This time, he bested a Springfield school board member as both appealed to the middle class Democrats in union-heavy areas.
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WHO WILL WIN?
The district, which includes both industrial areas and farm land stretching west to the Mississippi River, has long leaned Republican.
Countering LaHood’s fundraising, name recognition and endorsements would be daunting for any Democrat. LaHood has out-raised Mellon $1.2 million to roughly $10,700, according to campaign finance records.
Mellon is hoping to entice disenchanted Republican votes and labor. But he has struggled to get support, even within his own party: He vowed to cap fundraising at $150,000 to draw attention to campaign finance, but acknowledged trouble even getting that amount.
“The people who give donations are astute enough to know that the district is not drawn in my favor,” he said.
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WHAT’S THIS RACE ABOUT?
LaHood says he’s focused on agriculture, transportation and jobs. Without too many specifics, he says he’ll cut “government red tape” and wants locks and dams upgraded.
Mellon says his top issues are job creation — income inequality in particular — and campaign finance. He’s getting attention from a nonprofit that encouraged Chicago aldermanic candidates to limit fundraising.
Neither is a fan of President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, both saying they want to learn more. Mellon says he “leans toward” support, while LaHood says he’d likely vote with Republicans against it.
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