LaHood Wins Special Election Primary To Replace Schock

To no one's surprise, State Sen. Darin LaHood easily won the special election Republican primary held to replace U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), who was forced to resign after the Justice Department launched an investigation of his high-flying travel expenditures following a series of damaging leaks, presumably from within his own congressional staff. Darin's cousin, Dayne LaHood, served as Schock's district office director. LaHood is a heavy favorite to win the special general election because of the overwhelmingly Republican nature of the downstate district.

Darin's father, Ray LaHood, a consummate Washington insider, previously held the seat before Schock was elected to represent Illinois' 18th District at the age of 27 in 2008. Ray LaHood was your garden variety RINO who served as Transportation Secretary in the Obama administration. He later became a high-paid consultant for Meridiam, the company that put together a backroom deal with the Ballard administration to construct a new criminal justice center for Indianapolis under a Public-Private Partnership agreement, which the City-County Council thankfully rejected. Darin's brother, Sam LaHood, was forced out of Egypt in 2012 after officials there accused him of using his work for the International Republican Institute as cover for a CIA job that involved sowing civil unrest.