* Subscribers were told about this forum yesterday….

The House Democratic Women’s Caucus is holding a candidate forum on Wednesday for the speaker position. That statement sounds perfectly normal. But we all know this speaker’s race is anything but.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, the longest-serving statehouse speaker in the country, hasn’t RSVP’d, though sources close to him say he plans to attend. However, one of his top lieutenants, Rep. Kathy Willis, will be there along with Rep. Stephanie Kifowit and, possibly Rep. Ann Williams.

The forum is a lead-up to the Jan. 13 House vote on who will be the speaker of the next legislative session. State lawmakers will be in Springfield starting Jan. 8 to address some legislation, though they expect long caucus meetings to decide on the winner before heading to the House floor.

Willis and Williams started calling colleagues this week to gauge their support, and Kifowit has been in the hunt for months.

“The purpose of the forum is to allow any declared or exploratory candidate an opportunity to be heard,'’ wrote Rep. Deb Conroy in a letter to House lawmakers.

The women’s caucus forum comes on the heels of similar events held by the Black and Latino caucuses, which both endorsed Madigan.

Conroy says “there will not be an endorsement” after the women’s forum, which is designed to give caucus members a chance to hear candidates’ “vision for the future.”

Rep. Conroy told me this morning that Speaker Madigan has now confirmed he will attend. Rep. Williams confirmed that she’s been reaching out to colleagues, but said she had no public statement yet about whether she will speak tomorrow.

…Adding… From Rep. Conroy…

I do not have a confirmation from Rep. Williams that she will be participating. My hope is we will have more members who want an opportunity to be heard that will reach out before 10:00 am tomorrow. It is no secret I believe the next Speaker to follow MJM should be a woman out of the majority caucus.