Rep. Blumenauer reveals shoe of choice for running marathons

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) is one of 27 members of Congress being bestowed with a unique honor — the fair treatment of … footwear?

The Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group for the world’s largest retail companies, is applauding the lawmakers for a letter sent Tuesday that urges updated rules on all matters of toe coverings.

Blumenauer and Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.), who helped spearhead the letter, are its top signers.

So we had to know, what kind of kicks do these two care for?

Blumenauer, an avid runner, told ITK in a phone message that (naturally) he’s a big fan of the sneaker giant whose headquarters just happens to be housed in his home state: “I think it’s safe to say that I have run more marathons in Nikes than any other congressman — 37, I think, at last count — starting in 1978.”

And the congressman really must be a friend to footwear — calling his district the “footwear capital of North America,” he also showed some love to Oregon’s other shoemakers, saying, “Adidas, God love them, moved into my district with their American headquarters. Danner Boots are spectacular … And then there are newcomers, some of the folks, like Keen Footwear, that are actually manufacturing in the United States.”

Schock, who recently attracted headlines amid claims by the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington that he used campaign funds on exercise DVDs, undoubtedly straps on some sneaks as a P90X fitness-plan devotee. Schock’s office told ABC News that a filing error was to blame for the charge, and that the campaign “never paid for the P90X DVD.” 

The health-conscious congressman was likely too busy running around (in a still-unknown brand of shoes) to get back to us about his choice in fantastic footwear.

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