Today, Schock is on his way to being a historical footnote instead of, say, a future Illinois governor, as he announced his resignation:
“Today, I am announcing my resignation as a Member of the United States House of Representatives effective March 31,” Schock said in a statement....“But the constant questions over the last six weeks have proven a great distraction that has made it too difficult for me to serve the people of the 18th District with the high standards that they deserve and which I have set for myself. I have always sought to do what’s best for my constituents and I thank them for the opportunity to serve..."
On Monday, the House Office of Congressional Ethics began contacting Schock's associates in an initial investigation. In conjunction with Schock's prior answer from last week about whether he broke the law with any of his activities—"I certainly hope not..." though he added the disclaimer that he's "not an attorney"—it sounds like he decided things were only to get worse from here on out.
IL-18, designed to be a Republican vote sink centered on the Peoria area, went 37 Obama-61 Romney in 2012, so the special election is not likely to be a fruitful one for the Democrats. Schock had already attracted a GOP primary opponent since the scandal broke, attorney Mark Zalcman, but Zalcman is a small fry and the seat is likely to attract higher-profile Republican candidates now.
12:24 PM PT: Politico has added some detail to the initial story where they broke the Schock resignation. Their further inquiries about mileage reimbursement— a story that first emerged on Tuesday — revealed some huge discrepancies in his mileage records. Schock billed the federal government for 170,000 miles logged in his Chevy Tahoe, but when he sold the vehicle in July 2014, the odometer only read 80,000 miles, meaning he overbilled by 90,000 miles (worth tens of thousands of dollars to him). That little problem sounds like it was the issue that pushed Schock over the edge.
We also have some early details on the special election to replace Schock. Gov. Bruce Rauner must call for an election within 5 days of Schock's resignation (set for March 31), and the election must occur within 115 days of that (so, before the end of July). The potential Republican successor getting the most mention is a familiar name: state Sen. Darin LaHood. He's the son of moderate ex-Rep. Ray LaHood, who served more than a decade in IL-18 before becoming Barack Obama's Transportation Secretary. (Though it's possible his dad's apostasy may come back to haunt the younger LaHood in a primary against a more conservative opponent.)