The End of the Madigan Era
Hello from Springfield! Last night (earlier today?), we were on the House floor until around 4:30 a.m. working on legislation, and returned to the floor at 8:00 a.m. to finish our business. Swearing-in for the new General Assembly was this afternoon, and I'm writing this after a much-needed nap in my hotel room. There's so much to say about the last five days of legislating. Still wrapping my head around it all, but look forward to updates soon on the groundbreaking criminal justice and police reform bill we just passed, along with economic equity issues, healthcare transformation, and more.
But I'm writing you now to talk about the election for Speaker of the House.
Coming down here last Friday, I joined 18 of my brave, fearless colleagues in demanding that Michael J. Madigan no longer serve as our Speaker. Needless to say, our reception in Springfield was a bit chilly. Some of our colleagues viewed us as betraying our party's leader. Some quietly agreed with us, but feared repercussions in saying so publicly.
But due to that group's resolve — and especially to Ann Williams, Kathleen Willis, and Stephanie Kifowit, who put themselves forward as early candidates for Speaker — we showed our colleagues we weren't backing down. Two days ago, Madigan announced he was suspending his campaign.
And this afternoon, we inaugurated the first new Democratic Speaker of the House since 1983. The first Black Speaker in Illinois history, Chris Welch.
Chris's legislative record is that of bold progressive leadership. He's been an unflinching advocate for choice, leading the fight for the passage of the groundbreaking Reproductive Health Act in 2019. He's fought with equal passion for the immigrant community, standing in solidarity with Latinx legislators and encouraging the Black Caucus to join alongside him. And his progressive credentials are equally sterling on issues of criminal justice reform, housing, and labor rights, to name a few.
Personally, I've found Chris to be a remarkable mentor over the last several years. He's gone out of his way — with me, but especially with new members of color — to show folks the ropes, help them pass bills, and help grow the next generation of leaders in the House. Compared to Madigan, who (really) doesn't have a cell phone or email, Chris is going to be a totally different leader. He'll be transparent, accessible, engaged, and scrupulously ethical.
If you've read news stories about this in the last day or so, you may have seen allegations against Chris of past instances of improper behavior toward women. I want to address those head-on here.
I was very concerned to read this, as I’m sure you were. I take these allegations seriously. I always start from a position of believing women who make these accusations. I also know our country's history of using alleged violence against women as a tool to denigrate Black men. Based on the information shared with us privately in the last days, and based on his unflinching record in support of women personally and legislatively since I've known him, I feel comfortable supporting Chris in his new role as Speaker. Know that this decision was not made lightly, and I hope for a more robust public dialogue on these issues in the coming days.
In any case: we've made history. An era unlike any other in Illinois has ended. Michael Madigan's imprint on this state is profound indelible. He leaves in his wake a long list of legislative achievements I prize greatly, and a long shadow of corruption and impropriety that will cloud our party and our chamber for years to come. I look forward to a new era of progressive politics and ethical governance, one that can make us all proud to be Illinoisans.
More to come soon, friends and neighbors. Until then, stay safe and be well.
Sincerely,
- Will