Dems select Welch as new House speaker
‘It is time for new leadership in the House,’ says Madigan, ending 36-year run
New Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch was a member of Gov. Pritzker’s transition team two years ago. (Pritzker Transition Press Team)
By Ted Cox
State Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch is the new speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
The House Democratic Caucus selected Welch Wednesday to replace Michael Madigan after 36 years in the post — considered a national record. Welch became the 70th man to fill the seat and the first African American.
Numerous news outlets reported that Welch gained 69 of the 73 votes in a closed-door meeting of House Democrats, with three representatives voting “present.” He was formally elected House speaker later in the day at the Bank of Springfield Center, where the House is meeting for expanded space over the Capitol due to COVID-19 concerns.
After the new General Assembly was sworn in Wednesday, Welch won the speaker’s post with 70 votes to 44 for House Minority Leader Jim Durkin.
“It is time for new leadership in the House,” Madigan said in a statement following the caucus meeting. “I wish all the best for Speaker-elect Welch as he begins a historic speakership. It is my sincere hope today that the caucus I leave to him and to all who will serve alongside him is stronger than when I began. And as I look at the large and diverse Democratic majority we have built — full of young leaders ready to continue moving our state forward, strong women and people of color, and members representing all parts of our state — I am confident Illinois remains in good hands.”
Madigan, of Chicago, thanked “the people of my district and the members of the House Democratic Caucus for the faith and trust they have placed in me over the years.” Over the last 38 years, he served as House speaker for all but two years in the mid-’90s when Republicans were in the majority.
But his tenure as speaker came to an end when 19 House members, including top progressives, refused to back his bid for reelection to another term after he was all but named last summer in a federal investigation into a ComEd bribery scheme in the General Assembly. ComEd had allegedly attempted to influence Madigan through jobs and other perks given to top Madigan associates and allies in the House.
Madigan denied the charges, saying he wasn’t aware of the scheme and would have stopped it if he were, but it wasn’t enough for the holdouts, not after Madigan was used as a target in political attack ads last November to defeat both the Fair Tax Amendment and the retention election of state Supreme Court Judge Thomas Kilbride. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin also blamed Madigan for Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s loss to U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, as she too fell victim to attack ads linking her to the speaker.
Welch, of Hillside, was elected to the House eight years ago and was considered a Madigan loyalist, acting as chairman of a committee assigned to probe the speaker last year. He resisted calls to subpoena Madigan to testify, and the former speaker never appeared before the panel.
After Madigan formally “suspended” his reelection campaign earlier this week, Welch gradually consolidated the 60 votes needed to replace him.
According to Rich Miller at Capitol Fax, the three House Democrats who voted “present” were Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Stephanie Kifowit, and Lance Yednock, with Rep. Katie Stuart not voting.
Gov. Pritzker issued a statement saying: “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Rep. Welch on his historic win as he becomes our state’s first Black speaker of the House. Speaker Welch has a record of championing legislation that has improved the lives of hardworking Illinoisans, and I have enjoyed working with him to move our state forward. As governor, I believe strongly that it is incumbent upon me to work with the General Assembly’s leaders who are chosen by their caucuses, and I look forward to continuing to work with Speaker Welch on our shared agenda.
“I also want to recognize Speaker Madigan for his decades of service to the state of Illinois,” he added. “Years from now, when historians focus on the legacy of the General Assemblies he has led, they will see beyond this chapter to the many achievements in the fight to lift up working families and those most in need, and they will especially acknowledge the necessary firewall that was built in the fight against Gov. Rauner’s destructive agenda.”
Welch was applauded by the body, and Madigan received a standing ovation before being formally replaced. Madigan too was sworn in with the rest of the House, although it’s uncertain whether he’ll choose to serve out the term.