Aaron Schock: Rauner and I put differences behind us

SPRINGFIELD — Wearing a Bruce Rauner T-shirt and a pair of Prada shoes, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock walked onto the State Fairgrounds putting the political divisiveness between himself and the gubernatorial candidate behind him.

Schock’s former chief of staff Steve Shearer did everything in his power to defeat Rauner in the primary, including heading up a group that launched attack ads against Rauner. Shearer did so with the belief that it was Rauner who had launched political attack ads against Schock to keep him from running for governor. The two Republicans have made up.

Schock said on Thursday he had nothing to do with Shearer’s efforts and that he and Rauner had mended fences.

“When he left our organization, he went and did something he wanted to do,” said Schock, a Peoria Republican. “We’re all free Americans. I can’t control people when they’re not employed by me. And even when I do employ people, sometimes I can’t control them.”

Schock now is all in for Bruce Rauner, he said.

“I said from the beginning, I stayed out of the primary, I had a number of friends in the primary,” Schock said. “I’m doing everything I can to help our ticket up and down the ballot.”