Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to anoint state deputy Emanuel “Chris” Welch (D) as their next leader, formally ending decades of control by House Speaker Mike Madigan (D), who served for more time than any other state speaker in the history of the United States.
Welch, who represents a suburban district east of Chicago, secured the votes he needed for President after making a deal with state deputy Jay Hoffman (D), who will hold a leadership position next year. Welch is about to become the first black lawmaker to hold the Speaker’s hammer in Illinois history.
His rise comes after months of turmoil among Democrats in the Illinois House, an increasing number of whom have asked Madigan to step down. Madigan has been the mayor – and Illinois’ most powerful politician – for 36 of the past 38 years.
But Madigan’s associates and allies are increasingly involved in a wide-ranging federal investigation into the lobbying practices of Commonwealth Edison, the state’s largest utility company. Several Madigan associates have been charged with crimes, although Madigan himself has not been charged with any wrongdoing.
The company agreed to pay a $ 200 million fine after admitting a scheme to distribute jobs and lobby Madigan’s allies.
Madigan maintained his power by building and maintaining one of the last great political machines in America. From his base on the Southwest Side of Chicago, Madigan operated for years a sponsorship system that ensured his tenure and control of the state’s Democratic Party.
The crowd of younger progressive Democrats who won elections outside the Madigan machine has grown in recent years. Spurred on by the ComEd scandal, a sufficient number of Democrats promised to retain their votes to deny Madigan the votes needed to serve another term.
Madigan suspended his own campaign for a spokesman earlier this week, when it became clear that he did not have the 60 votes needed to win the position of spokesman. On Wednesday, he admitted that his time was up.
“As I prepare to pass the speaker’s hammer to a new generation of Democratic leadership, I want to thank the people in my district and the members of the House of Democrats for the faith and trust they have placed in me over the years,” Madigan said in a statement. communicated. “It is time for new leadership in the Chamber. I wish the best of luck to President-elect Welch, who begins a historic mandate ”.
Welch will be formally elected on Wednesday, when the full state chamber will meet at the Bank of Springfield Center, where they will meet to obey the social detachment guidelines.
Madigan is likely to retain at least some of his power. Welch, who served in the state chamber for eight years, is a Madigan ally who, most recently, served as chairman of the Chamber’s Executive Committee. Welch also chaired a committee investigating Madigan’s relationship with ComEd, which fell apart after finding nothing wrong with Madigan’s actions.