Benton opponent demands answers
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gabby Shanahan is the 97th House District Republican candidate…
Two weeks after Representative Harry Benton was removed from the House Democratic Caucus and stripped of his committee assignments, residents of the 97th District are still waiting for answers.
“When I announced my campaign for State Representative, I made it clear that my mission was to restore integrity to this office,” said candidate for State Representative Gabby Shanahan. “These were extraordinary actions taken against a sitting legislator, yet residents still have not heard from Representative Benton. Two weeks of silence is simply not acceptable.”
Public office is built on trust and accountability. When actions this serious occur involving an elected official, the public deserves transparency.
Questions about Representative Benton’s integrity and transparency did not begin with this situation. For years, voters have seen a troubling pattern — from accepting more than half a million dollars from political committees controlled by former Speaker Mike Madigan during the height of the Springfield corruption scandals, to misleading voters about his record and collecting two taxpayer-funded salaries at the same time while serving as both highway commissioner and state representative.
“Respect and professionalism must be the baseline in every workplace, and integrity and transparency are foundational to good government,” Shanahan said. “That is the way I’ve lived my life, how I am raising my family, and what I will bring to this office if elected.”
With the primary election just one week away, voters in the 97th District deserve clear answers about what happened and how it affects their representation in Springfield.
“The people of this district deserve transparency, and they deserve representation that reflects the integrity and accountability our community expects,” Shanahan said.
We are now in a world where the House Speaker can strip someone of all their committee assignments and banish them from caucus meetings without any sort of public or even private explanation. Also, Benton should come clean.
- Not Again - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:05 pm:
Release the tapes!
- Leatherneck - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:08 pm:
=We are now in a world where the House Speaker can strip someone of all their committee assignments and banish them from caucus meetings without any sort of public or even private explanation.=
All the more reason why the GA needs to no longer be exempt from FOIA as well as the State Records Act. And stop hiding behind the old “attorney client privilege” excuse.
- deceptiveness - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:16 pm:
Democrats don’t care about their own party doing the sexual harassment. Only Trump. Got it.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:20 pm:
===sexual harassment===
I would strongly caution you about jumping to conclusions. I don’t care what anybody says, we simply do not yet know for sure what’s going on.
- South of I-80 - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 12:51 pm:
====Democrats don’t care about their own party doing the sexual harassment. Only Trump. Got it.====
Former Democratic Senator Al Franken would not agree with that.
- Far West Side - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:00 pm:
It is my understanding that certain documents pertaining to the Illinois G.A. are under FOIA. But if you’re referring to caucus conversations doubtful.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:03 pm:
=== But if you’re referring to caucus conversations doubtful.===
Impossible. Internal deliberations are exempt for exec branch as well.
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:10 pm:
Whatever Benton might say today, this week or this month, he’s unopposed in his primary, as is Shanahan in the Republican primary. Nothing changes whether he answers or not.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:25 pm:
==Democrats don’t care about their own party doing the sexual harassment. Only Trump. Got it.==
Apparently you think you know something we don’t.
Also, your victimhood is noted.
- sewer thoughts - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:33 pm:
we don’t need to specifically speculate, but everyone had a Benton story before this. I wonder if he hangs around like Hastings or if his caucus is more strict on general creekside.
- Downstate - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:33 pm:
The only thing worse than being in the minority is being in the majority and being treated as a pariah.
- Not your gramma - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:46 pm:
Benton is also running for state central committee in the 14th and is elected as a township highway commissioner. Would be great if the state banned state legislators from holding second offices, like most local elected officials are.
- politico - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:46 pm:
Every young female staffer has gotten the creep vibe from Benton. Ask any female House staffer. None of these allegations shock me, but they are what they are: allegations. Someone should say something whether it be Welch or Benton, but knowing how these things usually go, nothing will be addressed
- Norseman - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:52 pm:
Subheading should read - Mr. Speaker DO BETTER.
- deceptiveness - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 1:59 pm:
===Apparently you think you know something we don’t. Also, your victimhood is noted===
Are you a female staffer at the house? No? ok then sit down.
- 40,000 ft - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:17 pm:
The most generous explanation of this situation, “we are now in a world where…,” is that the Speaker is going to let the primary (general?) come/go, and then attempt to replace this privatized enemy of the Speaker’s caucus.
I have no idea how the machinery would work for that end. It just seems like the Speaker is “playing the long game.
The notso generous explanation is that Both Parties in this country are moving away from transparency and moving towards “a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control” and can do as they please. The Speaker does not seem concerned with the Democrat voters in the Plainfield area.
Regardless, something is broken.
Give the man some public due process, out of respect for his constituents, and set a good example of how to govern.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 2:43 pm:
“a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control”
I mean, that’s Welch, right? The 60-Democratic vote rule? The secretive behind-closed-doors work groups that negotiate and draft legislation without input, except from the *right* stakeholders? How many Illinoisans have gone without representation for months and years because of one man’s decision, as in the Benton case?
I haven’t voted for a republican since JBT but if I were in his district, I’d vote for anyone over Welch. Lack of transparency for him is a feature, not a bug.
- Lyons Larry - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 3:28 pm:
If only we had past behavior from the Speaker for insight on how he would handle credible accusations of abuse from women………oh wait……….
- Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 3:49 pm:
- Democrats don’t care about their own party doing the sexual harassment. -
Whatever Benton did, it appears to me that the Speaker was quick to take action. I agree Benton should explain himself and should step down if serious accusations are substantiated. If he refuses to do so the Speaker should be the one to make the accusations public.
- Prinipal Skinner - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 4:34 pm:
Under this Speaker there has ALWAYS been a narrative meant to justify an action like this. All the way back to Ammons getting ousted from leadership, there has always been a reason. The Speaker and his team being effectively radio silent on this suggests they have some level of guilt regarding what led up to their decision to ban Benton.
- Publius - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 8:14 pm:
If there is no public or private explanation or specifics about the reason the action is being taken, how can someone come clean/respond?
- Leatherneck - Tuesday, Mar 10, 26 @ 8:32 pm:
We also have never gotten a good reason from the speaker’s office why Brady Burden was ousted from House staff last May. The same Brady Burden who was orchestrating the efforts to get House staff members unionized.