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* Press release…
The following statement is from Speaker Madigan:
“The decision on the next speaker of the Illinois House will be made at a caucus, after a full discussion of the issues facing our state and the qualifications of the candidates. I plan to be a candidate for speaker, and today I confirmed that I continue to have support from a significant number of House Democratic caucus members.”
“Significant” isn’t “60.” And it’ll be tough to debate another candidate when there probably won’t be one.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Democratic Rep. Jonathan Carroll…
If the Speaker wants to caucus, I hope it’s to discuss the 101st General Assembly. We still have two months left to meet the needs of our state. If it’s for any other reason, he’s putting his own personal needs ahead of everything else. Any conversations about the next Speaker should be secondary to the current state of things.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Rachel Hinton…
Assistant Majority Leader Rep. William Davis said he had a “very short” conversation with Madigan Friday. The speaker asked for the Homewood Democrat’s vote, and Davis told him he’d have it come January, when House members will pick their leader.
“I have told speaker Madigan that I would support him, and I would not back away from that support,” Davis said, though he’s also made clear he has his eye on the speaker’s gavel — once Madigan is ready to relinquish it.
“What I have said is that I would like to be the next speaker of the House, but, prior to what’s happened, that’s always been a ‘when-Madigan-leaves’ conversation,” Davis said. “And, right now, that hasn’t changed. As this plays out a little bit more, and if he comes to the conclusion that he doesn’t have the votes, I hope there will be another conversation about making a smooth transition of leadership.”
Asked if Madigan backs him as a potential successor, Davis said he has asked for Madigan’s support should the time come, and the powerful Southwest Side Democrat, who’s held onto the gavel for nearly 40 years, said simply, “OK, I understand.”
Just saying, but if I was in the nearly all-white opposition, I’d seriously consider whomever the post-Madigan Black Caucus chooses.
…Adding… Just to clarify, I’m not saying the BC has or even soon will have a candidate. I’m just saying.
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* During Gov. Pritzker’s news media briefing today, a reporter submitted a question prefaced by the fact that it has been 24 hours since Pritzker had called on Speaker Madigan to answer questions or resign. The question…
How long will you wait to make him resign?
Since this was a question submitted online, I double-checked with Pritzker’s press secretary to make sure she asked it accurately. She did.
…Adding… Another question today was based on a comment by Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst), who said this week that the governor and the attorney general should consider filing state charges similar to the federal charges in the ComEd probe.
Um, the governor can’t do that. (Not blaming the reporter for that one, by the way, because the person was just following up on a legislator’s comment.)
Weird times.
…Adding… I’m told the reporter got it wrong about Mazzochi. She apparently said she hoped the governor was also talking to the AG to see if there was information in the federal documents that could support state charges.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** 13,012 new confirmed and probable cases, 126 additional deaths, 6,111 hospitalized, 1,196 in the ICU, 11.5 percent case positivity rate, 13.4 percent test positivity rate
Friday, Nov 20, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Meanwhile, in the real world…
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) today reported 13,012 new confirmed and probable cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Illinois, including 126 additional deaths.
- Adams County: 1 male 80s
- Bureau County: 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s
- Champaign County: 1 female 80s
- Coles County: 1 female 90s
- Cook County: 1 male 30s, 1 male 40s, 2 females 50s, 2 males 50s, 4 females 60s, 7 males 60s, 6 females 70s, 11 males 70s, 9 females 80s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s, 2 males 90s, 1 female over 100, 1 male over 100
- DeKalb County: 1 female 40s
- DeWitt County: 1 female 80s
- Douglas County: 1 male 80s
- DuPage County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 2 females 80s, 2 males 80s, 2 females 90s, 1 male 90s
- Effingham County: 1 female 60s
- Franklin County: 1 male 90s
- Grundy County: 1 female 70s
- Kane County: 1 male 40s, 1 female 60s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s, 1 male 80s
- Kendall County: 1 male 90s
- Knox County: 1 female 80s
- Lake County: 1 male 40s, 1 male 50s, 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s
- LaSalle County: 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s, 1 male 90s
- Macon County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 80s, 2 males 80s
- Madison County: 1 male 20s, 1 female 70s, 2 females 80s
- Mason County: 1 female 50s, 1 female 90s
- McDonough County: 1 male 60s
- McHenry County: 1 male 50s, 1 male 60s
- McLean County: 1 male 80s
- Mercer County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 90s
- Monroe County: 1 female 80s
- Ogle County: 1 female 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 female 90s
- Pike County: 1 male 80s
- Randolph County: 1 female 80s
- Rock Island County: 1 male 50s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Sangamon County: 1 female 80s
- Stephenson County: 1 female 70s
- Tazewell County: 1 female 80s, 1 female 90s, 1 male 90s
- Whiteside County: 2 males 50s, 1 female 80s, 1 male 80s
- Will County: 1 male 50s, 1 female over 100
- Winnebago County: 1 male 60s, 1 male 70s, 1 male 80s, 1 male 90s
- Woodford County: 1 female over 100
Currently, IDPH is reporting a total of 634,395 cases, including 11,304 deaths, in 102 counties in Illinois. The age of cases ranges from younger than one to older than 100 years. Within the past 24 hours, laboratories have reported 116,024 specimens for a total 9,588,698. As of last night, 6,111 in Illinois were reported to be in the hospital with COVID-19. Of those, 1,196 patients were in the ICU and 604 patients with COVID-19 were on ventilators.
The preliminary seven-day statewide positivity for cases as a percent of total test from November 13 – November 19, 2020 is 11.5%. The preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity from November 13 – November 19, 2020 is 13.4%.
*All data are provisional and will change. In order to rapidly report COVID-19 information to the public, data are being reported in real-time. Information is constantly being entered into an electronic system and the number of cases and deaths can change as additional information is gathered. Information for deaths previously reported has changed, therefore, today’s numbers have been adjusted. For health questions about COVID-19, call the hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov.
*** UPDATE *** More bad news…
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* Reiter told me essentially the same thing as he told Fran Spielman yesterday…
Chicago Federation of Labor President Bob Reiter on Thursday voiced unwavering support for embattled Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, even though a new federal indictment plunges deeper into Madigan’s once impervious inner-circle.
Reiter reaffirmed the labor movement’s support for its Springfield champion one day after former lawmaker-turned-Commonwealth Edison lobbyist Michael McClain, one of the speaker’s closest confidants, was one of four people charged with participating in a bribery scheme.
“The people that you’ve worked with to help make everyday peoples’ lives better — you can’t just walk away from that situation. Especially in a situation like this where there’s this appearance that’s been created that may, in fact, be divorced from actual reality,” Reiter told the Sun-Times Thursday.
* I hear this a lot…
Others are out there, so saying he has 55 votes is incorrect. He needs 60 to win. And this ain’t no capital bill. The people he needs aren’t shrinking violets waiting for him to shower them with favors. They’ve made a very public commitment that will be almost impossible to break without losing all face.
Until Madigan can prove he can get to 60 by flipping five (and counting) members back into line, he cannot win. And the opposition so far isn’t a bunch of regular machine types who can be persuaded with jobs, or contracts or promotions to leadership. They also can’t be threatened with loss of committee assignments or whatever because if they stick together, he’s out and he can’t do anything to them and they can cut their own deal with the next person to help him or her get to 60.
As I detailed for subscribers this morning, Madigan could put the state through a very long and disastrous stalemate and declare war against a faction of his own members in an attempt to hold onto power. We’ll see whether he wants to go that far.
* From comments…
Until someone else announces they are running this just a fun party game.
This is not much different than Justice Kilbride’s retention race and his appointed replacement. The idea right now is to prevent the opposition from winning. Then, when that becomes clear, House Democrats can work on coalescing behind someone else.
* Tribune…
“I would not count him out,” said one previous Madigan political nemesis, former Republican Gov. Jim Edgar. “He’s the smartest guy in the Capitol building and very determined, and he’s not going to go easily.”
I chatted with Gov. Edgar this morning for a bit and asked if he’d seen that the count had moved to 18 declared opponents. He hadn’t, but he did see that it had advanced to 17 late last night.
“I don’t know,” Edgar said. “Maybe it is the end. We’ll see. But, again, my experience has been with Madigan is that he’s a smart guy.”
He is at that.
* I texted and emailed several House Democrats a question yesterday: “Howdy. Any comment on 16 House Democrats announcing they will not vote to reelect Speaker Madigan?” Here’s Rep. Jaime Andrade’s (D-Chicago) texted response. Don’t hold the typos against him because we all know the issues with texting (except for Speaker Madigan, of course)…
Hello Rich, there needs to be an immediate dem caucus meeting in order to move forward. We can not wait with redistricting around the corner. If the votes are not there they are not there. It is simple math.
So others can start making their moves but they can not wait too long because then it will look like they are asking for “permission”. We do not want the same thing happen when it took Hynes close or over 200 hundred times to be elected as president of the senate. The transition should not be done over night. And I suspect the 16 will grow in the next few days. And I suspect we will lose a few state reps that will leave the GA all together with change of leadership. One can never underestimate the speaker but I do not see where the 60 votes come from.
Who flips back to a yes. Are the unions actually going to make calls and ask members to vote for MM, I do not think so. One thing is to put out a letter but actively make phone calls…
At the end of the day what would the speaker expect of any member of his leadership to do?
*** UPDATE *** He’s been calling around for weeks, but it’s still notable…
Stay tuned.
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* Gov. Pritzker at his media briefing today…
When it comes to the law, I don’t have any ability to predict how this investigation by the US Attorney into Speaker Madigan’s actions is going to conclude, and I would not even try.
I firmly believe that anyone accused of a crime, and those who face accusations of wrongdoing, are innocent until proven guilty.
But that’s not our standard for holding higher office. Instead, here’s what we all know the pay to play quid pro quo situation outlined in these indictments released last night our unspeakably wrong.
Anyone who concludes otherwise is insulting the public.
If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in a position of enormous public trust with such a serious ethical cloud hanging over his head. Then he has to at the very least, be willing to stand in front of the press and the people in the answer every last question to their satisfaction. Written statements and dodged investigatory hearings are not going to cut it.
If the speaker cannot commit to that level of transparency, then the time has come for him to resign as speaker.
We are at an incredibly difficult moment in our state. We are all overwhelmed with decisions of life and death, and economic distress. The people of Illinois do not deserve a political circus.
On top of that, I’ve maintained from the beginning that legislators have a right to make their own decisions about who leads them, and I continue to feel that way. These legislators alone hold the unique power to elect the Illinois speaker, and I trust that they will think long and hard about the duties that they owe to the people that we all work
Please pardon all transcription errors.
…Adding… Pritzker was asked if he was calling legislators asking them to vote against Madigan…
Look, the legislators themselves know what they need to consider. They’re the ones who ultimately are going to decide whether the speaker is going to continue. I speak with members of the legislature all the time. I have not spoken with members of legislature since last night.
And I’ll say it again. If Speaker Madigan wants to continue in his position of enormous public trust, then he has to answer questions for the public, for the press to their satisfaction until every last question is answered. And if the speaker can’t commit to that he ought to resign.
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* Press release…
Future of the Democratic House Caucus
This year has presented us with many challenges and we have always put the betterment of the people of Illinois first. We want to see our caucus go a new direction with different leadership. Therefore, we will not be supporting the current speaker for the 102nd General Assembly.
Representative Jonathan Carroll
57th District
Representative Sam Yingling
62nd District
That’s 14.
If everyone who has said they won’t vote for Madigan (8 plus today’s 2) or said he should step aside and let someone else take over (4) actually stick to their guns, Speaker Madigan is now at 59 for the January election. That’s one short of the 60 he needs to win another term.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Will Guzzardi makes 15…
In so many ways, our state is at a crossroads. We face unprecedented political, economic, social, and public health crises. And they are compounded by Illinoisans’ lack of faith in our government to lead our state fairly and ethically.
The charges announced last night only confirm what we already knew: the old ways of doing business in Springfield will not be adequate to rise to our present challenges. We will need new, transformative leadership to meet this moment.
I join many of my fellow House members in asking Rep. Madigan not to seek re-election as Speaker of the Illinois House. If he does, we will not be voting for him. And without our votes, we do not believe he will have the requisite number to be re-elected as Speaker.
It is time for our House Democratic Caucus to decide on new leadership for the 102nd General Assembly. This is a historic moment, and I look forward to the discussion with my colleagues on a transformative new direction for our Caucus.
…Adding… Reps. Kelly Cassidy, Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, Terra Costa Howard, Maurice West, Bob Morgan, Anne Stava-Murray, Stephanie Kifowit and Lindsey LaPointe have all said they would not vote to reelect Madigan. Reps. Deb Conroy, Robyn Gabel, Anna Moeller and Ann Williams recently sent Madigan a letter asking him not to run again so somebody new could take his place. Add today’s three and that’s 15. The House Democrats will have 73 seats in the next General Assembly, so MJM is now two shy of the 60 he needs for reelection unless some folks get cold feet and flip back.
*** UPDATE 2 *** This seals it…
November 19, 2020
On November 8, 2020, we sent a letter to Speaker Madigan calling on him to step aside and make room for new leadership of the Illinois House in January. In the wake of yesterday’s expansive and far-reaching indictment, it has become even more clear that the Speaker will no longer be able to effectively lead the House Democratic caucus, and we will not be supporting him for Speaker.
We are committed to working collaboratively with our colleagues to identify the best path forward to protect working families, ensure access to healthcare, protect our environment and address other critical Democratic priorities.
Representative Deb Conroy - 46th District
Representative Robyn Gabel - 18th District
Representative Anna Moeller - 43rd District
Representative Ann M. Williams - 11th District
*** UPDATE 3 *** Press release…
Representative-elect Margaret Croke of Illinois’ 12th district will not support Speaker Michael Madigan’s reelection as the Speaker of the Illinois House.
Croke, who will represent Chicago’s near Northside, lakefront neighborhoods stated, “Given the incredible challenges facing our state, Springfield cannot afford distractions that take our focus off of meeting those challenges head-on.
We must do all that we can to restore people’s trust. Springfield needs to focus on helping people get through this pandemic and then restoring and rebuilding a better economy and state that works for everyone.
With change comes opportunity. Illinois has a diverse and majority-woman legislature. It is my hope that when I am sworn in to serve the 12th district, I will have an opportunity to cast my vote for a Speaker that represents the diversity of our state. We must then get to work restoring trust with voters and addressing the very serious and real challenges we face.”
Croke joins other notable representatives calling for a change in leadership.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Rep. Daniel Didech has also issued a statement. Click here to read it.
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