Another Democrat says they won’t vote for Madigan

Posted on December 1, 2020
Michael Madigan
Willis makes, informally, nineteen Democrats backing away from Madigan, already leaving him at least six short of the sixty it will take to become speaker of the new General Assembly, which convenes next month. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – The latest Democrat to jump ship on House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) is a significant one.

State Rep. Kathleen Willis (D-Addison), a member of the House Democrats’ leadership team, says there is much work to get done in 2021 without, as she put it, “the distraction that has been created by Representative Madigan.”

So, not only do you have the caucus chair – and the first person in leadership – not supporting him for speaker, you have her referring to the speaker as “Representative Madigan.” He’s said he is not guilty of anything, despite indictments of four people in the Commonwealth Edison bribery scandal, in which the utility says it tried to throw cash and other favors toward his inner circle to grease favorable legislation in Springfield.

Willis makes, informally, nineteen Democrats backing away from Madigan, already leaving him at least six short of the sixty it will take to become speaker of the new General Assembly, which convenes next month.

Dave Dahl can reached at [email protected]

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