Rep. Aaron Schock draws GOP primary opponent

Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., speaks to reporters about recent controversies regarding his spending. (Ron Johnson, AP/Peoria Journal Star)

Rep. Aaron Schock, the Illinois congressman under fire for travel and renovation costs, reportedly has drawn a Republican primary challenger.

Mark Zalcman, a lawyer, announced Monday he will challenge Schock next year for the Republican nomination in the 18th District, the Peoria Journal Starreported

Schock, first elected in 2008, repaid the governmentDownton Abbey. 

Since TheWashington Postuse of private jets

Zalcman told the Peoria newspaper that his campaign platform will be based on his Christian faith and values, with the slogan, “Because Washington needs the Gospel.” He ran in a 2014 GOP primary for a state House seat but was removed from the ballot because his petitions did not have enough qualified signatures from voters.

The 18th District — covering Quincy, part of Peoria, and Springfield, the state capital — is solidly Republican. Mitt Romney carried the district in the 2012 presidential election with 61% of the vote. Schock won a fourth term in November with about 75% of the vote.