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The
announcement came just days after Madigan resigned his seat in
the House after a 50-year career in the General Assembly.
“Over the last two decades, we have elected a diverse array of
Democrats across Illinois and helped send a hometown Chicago
leader to the White House, turning Illinois into a Democratic
stronghold in the Midwest,” Madigan said in a statement late
Monday afternoon. “Together, we faced conservative extremism and
stood up for working men and women. I’m confident the Democratic
Party of Illinois will continue to cement our place as a beacon
of progressive values.
“My work would not have been possible without the support of my
family, Shirley, Lisa, Tiffany, Nicole and Andrew. I thank each
of them for their unwavering love and support that has allowed
me to do this work for so long.”
Madigan, 78, resigned his House seat Thursday, a month after he
failed to win another term as speaker. He had served as the top
officer in the House for all but two years since 1983.
But support for him within the Democratic caucus began eroding
after officials at utility giant Commonwealth Edison admitted to
a yearslong bribery scheme in which they admitted awarding jobs
and contracts to Madigan’s associates in order to curry his
favor for legislation benefitting the company.
Madigan has not been charged in that case and has vehemently
denied any wrongdoing. But his connection to the scandal
prompted other high-ranking Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Dick
Durbin, to blame him for key losses in the 2020 elections,
including the failure of Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed graduated
income tax amendment.
In a separate statement Monday, newly-elected Speaker Emanuel
“Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, thanked Madigan for his years of
service to the party.
“I have full confidence in the state central committee's ability
to select a new chair. The Illinois Democratic party remains
strong, and we will continue our work to create a more equitable
state,” Welch said.
Madigan’s resignation from the party chairmanship was effective
immediately. His four-year term as a state central committeeman
is scheduled to end following the March primary in 2022.
According to a press release, Vice Chairwoman Karen Yarbrough
will serve as interim chairwoman until the 36 members of the
state central committee meet within the next 30 days to elect a
new chairperson to serve out the remainder of Madigan’s term.
“One thing everyone knows about Illinois is that it’s a reliably
blue state in the Midwest and throughout the country, and that’s
in large part because of the leadership of Mike Madigan,”
Yarbrough said in a statement. “Democrats across Illinois owe
Chairman Madigan a huge debt of gratitude for the support,
resources and time he’s dedicated to candidates and races at
every level. While our party enters a transition and looks to
the future, I hope we don’t lose sight of the extraordinary
contributions he has made. I thank him for his leadership and
wish him the best in his next chapter.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
news service covering state government and distributed to more
than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the
Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick
Foundation.
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