The head of an environmental group is preparing to challenge freshman Rep. Aaron Schock (R) next year.

Deirdre Hirner, the executive director of the Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group, is circulating petitions to get on the Democratic primary ballot, the Peoria Journal Star reported this week.

“I’m very interested in giving back and being a public servant,— Hirner told the newspaper.

Hirner lives in Springfield, which is in the nearby 19th district, but that does not prevent her from seeking Schock’s 18th district seat.

Schock, the youngest Member of the House, is a rising star in the GOP who will be heavily favored to win a second term. Through Sept. 30, he had $106,000 in his campaign account.

Rep. Davis Files Papers to Seek County Office

Rep. Danny Davis (D) filed his petitions to run for Cook County Board president Monday morning, but his office said he will also file for his current Congressional seat at a later date.

Monday was the first day that Illinois candidates could file their petitions and the requisite numbers of signatures with the local elections department. Davis has until Nov. 9 to withdraw one of his petitions and pick a race.

Although Davis filed for Cook County Board president Monday, his spokesman Ira Cohen confirmed in an e-mail that he will also submit petitions to run for re-election to his current seat later on.

“Yes, he will, but the date is not yet determined,— Cohen said.

A well-placed source said Davis was waiting to see which other candidates file for the Cook County Board race before he made a final decision.

If some of the more prominent candidates have trouble getting enough signatures to run for the seat, then he is more likely to run for Cook County Board president.

If Davis does not run for re-election, several Democrats are waiting to run for his House seat. The House district is composed of parts of Chicago and close-in suburbs, and Democrats are expected to keep the seat regardless of whether Davis is the nominee in 2010.