* I interviewed Speaker Welch this morning and he said nobody in his caucus told him “No” when he asked for their votes…

House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch released the following statement Friday:

I am grateful to the people of the 7th District for re-electing me to represent them in Springfield, and I am pleased to announce that I have secured the votes of my colleagues to continue to serve as Speaker of the House. I am honored by the trust my community and colleagues have placed in me.

The people of Illinois have asked for leadership that is both smart and compassionate. The House Democratic Caucus is tasked with understanding and responding to the messages they’ve heard from their constituents at the doors and that the people across our state have sent by their votes. We’ll be guided by families’ real concerns, seeing their budgets stretched thin by the rising costs of everyday essentials. We’ll stand up for the rights of all people, even those who do not always agree with us, and defend the dignity of everyone who calls Illinois home—and those nationwide who look to us as a bastion of hope and safety. And we’ll work to deliver for everyone tired of having to choose between being a state that works and a state that cares. We choose to be both.

I’ll have more on the Welch interview for subscribers next week.