Sneed: Ray and Darin LaHood call Schock to wish him well

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Illinois state Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, greets people in Peoria in May 2014. On Wednesday, he announced his candidacy for U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s soon-to-be-vacant congressional seat. | AP Photo/Journal Star, Fred Zwicky

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The Schock treatment . . .

Foxy.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, whose son, state Sen. Darin LaHood, R-Dunlap, plans to run for the spot vacated by embattled U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock,, R-Ill., tells Sneed he called Schock this week to wish him well.

“Darin and I both called him — but he didn’t return our phone calls,” Ray LaHood told Sneed. “But I would have told him, ‘My heart goes out to you.’

“ ‘It’s not the way you’d plan to end a congressional career,” he said. “But we’ve been friends a long time. I hope we continue to be friends. Let me know if there is any way I can help. It’s when you go through a tough time you find out who your friends really are.’ ”

Isn’t that impressive.

The LaHood lure . . .

Haul out the cutlery! Sneed is told that State Sen. Darin LaHood, who declared his candidacy for Rep. Aaron Schock’s spot Wednesday — plans to attend three Lincoln Day dinners in central Illinois this weekend.

Payback time?

Sneed hears Jeremiah Joyce, an old workhorse for the Daley regime, is lending his hand to mayoral hopeful Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s campaign. Is this payback for Mayor Rahm Emanuel ousting a lucrative O’Hare International Airport concessionaire in which Joyce held a substantial interest?

Jeb web . . .

It’s no secret that Republican presidential possibility and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could become the second Roman Catholic to ascend to the presidency.

However — Jeb, a convert, is not the only Catholic dangling from his family tree. So was his great-grandfather, George Herbert Walker — the namesake of his father: former President George Herbert Walker Bush.

The Quinn bin . . .

Former Gov. Pat Quinn, who has been a bit under the radar since losing the election, was spotted looking rather jolly at the Irish Fellowship Club dinner last weekend.

The Rahm report . . .

It’s just being hospitable: UNITE HERE Local 1, a union comprising hospitality workers, just cut TV ads endorsing Mayor Emanuel for re-election. They claim he was the first mayor to meet with their membership. Now there’s a reason.

Burke’s law . . .

Playback time: Ald. Ed Burke (14th), who just received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Celtic Legal Society, is endowing a society medal named after the late, legendary Irish-born Illinois attorney Gen. James Shields, who is the only person in U.S. history to serve as a U.S. senator from three states: Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri. Get out the history book!

The Wirtz world . . .

Bow wow! Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz and his wife, Marilyn, who adore their beagles Queenie and Bernie, are continuing their trek into pup paradise.

• Translation: Sneed is told they are flying Miss P, the bodacious Beagle who was just crowned champion of the Westminster Kennel Club, to showcase her on the ice at the United Center on March 30, when the Blackhawks battle the Los Angeles Kings.

• Doggie heaven: If you recall, back in 2008, when Uno the beagle won the top prize at Westminster, Rocky flew the pooch in and installed him at the Sutton Place Hotel before showcasing him on the ice at a Blackhawks game. Uno is Miss P’s great uncle, don’tchaknow.

• The doggie poop . . . er, scoop: Hmmm. Will Rocky, who is adamant about bringing the top dog show to Chicago, have Miss P drop a puck? Or will she drop something else?

Stay tuned.

Sneedlings . . .

Thursday’s birthdays: Bruce Willis, 60; Glenn Close, 68, and Ursula Andress, 79.

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