Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Conservative Group Criticizes Schock on Shutdown Vote

http://www.primarymycongressman.com/

A conservative group is criticizing Illinois congressman Aaron Schock for his vote to end the government shutdown and extend the treasury’s borrowing authority. 

Even so, it does not appear he will have a challenger in next year’s primary.

The group, Americans for Limited Government, issued a press release saying Schock now “shares in the blame” for the President’s health care law. The release said that he had not opposed the healthcare law enough going on to say "Schock now owns Obamacare just as much as if it had been a vote to adopt it in the first place."

Schock did vote against the affordable care act when it was initially passed in 2010 and voted to repeal the law nearly 40 times since then.

Keith Boeckleman, chair of the political science department at Western Illinois University, said this is not the first time a conservative group has come out against Schock.

The conservative Club for Growth called for a primary challenger to run against Schock after last year’s debt ceiling fight, but with time running out Boeckleman says it doesn’t look like there are any takers.

"We haven't reached the filing date yet, but as far as I know no one is out there getting signatures at this point. They need to be raising money, they need to be even running advertisements and so forth already to lay the groundwork cause you only got four months or so," Boeckleman said.

And even if a challenger did emerge, he says Schock is still a strong candidate.

"I think it would be very tough unless you have got somebody who's already got high name recognition and again I don't know who that would be at this point," Boeckleman said.

Boeckleman said primary challenges are more successful when there is low voter turnout and with a contested republican primary for governor, that is not likely to happen.
 

Scott Stuntz is a former reporter at Tri States Public Radio.