Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune’s Rick Pearson appeared on the The 21st Show this week…
Brian Mackey: Let’s talk about the Speaker. What has been the fallout for him from this, right? A few calls for resignation from Republicans. I haven’t seen that yet from Democrats. Talk about that.
Rick Pearson: Well, there have been some Democrats that have been very strong in their criticism of him. And I think, you know, here it’s one of those things where — how public are you going to get about this? And remember, the Speaker of the House basically controls the House and, for a great deal of it, controls the money and resources that his members get for re-election. So it’s a pretty daunting kind of issue to come front and center and confront the Speaker of the House. That was true with Mike Madigan. It’s still true with Chris Welch. And so while there is consternation in the caucus, does it rise to a level of a revolt? I don’t know. We’ll see.
To me, I believe that Welch is seriously concerned — for the extraneous issue of pledging that he would lead the effort to bail out the Chicago public schools in the fall veto session with an unknown plan that has virtually no chance of happening. That just shows me the extent that Welch is taking this to try to protect his speakership, and so that tells me he’s concerned.
A few folks out there have gotten it into their heads that I’m the only one making the claim highlighted above. It’s actually pretty widespread. Capitol News Illinois…
Welch, Senate President Don Harmon and Pritzker have largely been aligned in their position of balancing the need for more education funding with budget realities.
But his apparent change of tune comes as he has been working to fortify his standing with key allies in recent weeks amid criticism over how his office handled allegations of sexual harassment against ex-Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield.
- DuPage Saint - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 8:39 am:
Of course it is a ploy and i expect more. The only odd thing about it is how open it is. You would think he we be more subtle and behind closed doors about it. You will know it is over if he brings in Kevin Warren
- Excitable Boy - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 8:44 am:
- It’s actually pretty widespread -
It was ham fisted and obvious from the jump. How any serious person couldn’t see that is beyond me.
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 8:48 am:
=A few folks out there have gotten it into their heads =
That is absurd. There are several high-profile legislators that have been pretty outspoken, like Kelly Cassidy iirc. So Rich is definietly not al one and absolutely not wrong.
Without a doubt welch’s new pledge is a sadly transparent ploy to get support and brandon johnson and ctu (both representing a lot of women) are both all in for welch and this sick episode of moral relativism.
- Not Rich - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:06 am:
The inner circle around Welch is woefully lacking. Critical thinking is not their forte
- Tom - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:06 am:
I consider Rich a friend, but that has never stopped him from taking out after any politician or candidate I have worked with. He covers Springfield and knows the players better than just about anyone. You can attack his stories, but don’t attack his integrity. I’ve read him since the Hannah days, and while I don’t agree with everything he writes, he never writes with malice.
- Simon - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:06 am:
Pearson, unsurprisingly, diagnoses Welch’s status pretty well. There’s no real movement among members to sack him now. But things will get interesting in November when the Speaker is working behind the scenes to put together 60 votes to get re-elected, while also advancing his CPS funding gambit. Protecting rank-and-file members from political heat is a core duty of a legislative leader. Yet Welch seems poised to throw his members into the CTU fire.
In the end, we may see him fail the same way Madigan did six years ago — not because a specific challenger emerges to take him on, but because he simply can’t get to 60.
- Interested Bystander - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:10 am:
=Of course it is a ploy and i expect more.=
And not just more from Welch, as evidenced by the timing of Brandon Johnson’s supporting statements.
- Mister Ed - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:24 am:
Is Welch concerned about losing his Speakership? Of course he is worried. Cassidy is a pitbull with a solid following. This issue is huge. She could lead the charge to oust him.
- Ann Dwyer - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:25 am:
You and Isabel been leaders on this story, Rich, but you’re right to note that others have been flagging the issue and what it means for the speaker. We here at Crain’s editorialized on a similar theme the other day:
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/opinion/editorials/ccb-chris-welch-lig-cps-editorial-20260803/
- Retired School Board Member - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:52 am:
While this is going to sound naive and uninformed, but I ask you consider the idea that perhaps the fact that the Speaker controls campaign money/resources is the fundamental problem here? Perhaps this undermines good government to an extent that we do not want to contemplate due to it’s “sacred cow-ness”? Just food for thought, naivite’ be damned.
- Lincoln Lad - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 10:05 am:
Welch failed the victimized staffers, and thereby the citizens of Illinois. This is an easy one - stand with the victims. Resign Mr. Speaker. Lead Governor. Do what’s right now, don’t fail for whatever reason. Do what’s right.
- Blazzzer - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 10:14 am:
Let’s review. Welch knew about alleged sexual harassment in 2023. No investigation was done and he gave the alleged harasser $1.4 million in campaign money. Sometime between then and now, he allegedly engaged in behavior on social media that made the same victim uncomfortable. In early 2026, his office filed a claim with the LIG and he kicked the alleged harasser out of his caucus. Once the LIG report was released, the forced the alleged harasser to resign. It’s three years of poor judgment by Welch. To those of us who live in the real world, it should be no surprise that he’s having to fight to keep the speakership. Anyone else would have been kicked out of the caucus and forced to resign for exercising such poor judgment.
- City Zen - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 10:28 am:
Does Don Harmon now regret dropping out of State Central Committeeman race?
- Squeaker Welch - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 11:03 am:
Welch didn’t just fail a victim, he tried to entice that same victim for his own pleasure as well. The young woman asked him for career advice and his response was “meet me at the bar.” How anyone can miss the signal there is beyond me.
As for the three reps on wgn. Welch put Lisa Davis into office by raising a million dollars to scare Cyril Nichols out of the way, he worked behind the scenes to take out Wiles and get Norma Hernandez into office, and his committee Democrats for the Illinois House Grasse is Grasse’s largest donor.
Three typical politicians, easy to buy and easy to sell.
- Sue - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 11:07 am:
Hey- forget about his failure to deal with Benton- Welch was creditably accused of abusing his former spouse - kind of Planteress IMO- I guess this confirms that Dems only preach Believe the Women and ignore the abusers when it suits their purposes
- JS Mill - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 11:53 am:
= kind of Planteress IMO=
…kind of Max Milleress IMO…
Fixed it for you.
- NIU Grad - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 12:00 pm:
“A few folks out there have gotten it into their heads”
Maze Jackson being in the “inner circle” strikes again.
If that’s the voice in the Speaker’s ear, he’s going to find the political walls closing in on him quicker than he thinks.
- Amalia - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 12:27 pm:
anyone else would have been hounded loudly by now by the caucus. let’s see why is that not happening? Let’s see why is he catering to the insane ask of the CTU? this is the kind of thing that drives people away from Democrats. Ladies of the caucus, get him out. now.
- BlueOrangeDem - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 1:49 pm:
If Welch manages to hold onto the Speakership, it’s not because of his political team/inner circle. They excel at going to Chicago Cut. It will only be because there is no a credible challenger.
This is not a little issue. Welch was fully aware that a member of his caucus was a sexual harasser and continued to fund his campaign where he then continued to harass other women. It’s shameful and frankly very saddening to us who hoped this would end under his “leadership”. Now is the time for the House Democrats to stand up for victims by electing someone who will actually lead in a thoughtful, honest and ethical way. Something that has been lacking for many years.
- Dotnonymous x - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 2:12 pm:
“A few folks out there have gotten it into their heads”
I shoulda used my big head is always an after thought…after being caught?
- Huh? - Wednesday, Aug 5, 26 @ 9:14 pm:
As a retired State employee, if I had done what speaker welch did, I would have been fired and lost my pension.
I had to sit through annual sexual harassment training videos. What welch did could have been a case study for these sessions.