Dems Shocked by Madigan Announcement
Embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan shocked Springfield and his own caucus Monday with his announcement he was suspending his campaign for re-election as Speaker, but wasn’t withdrawing from the race.
It’s sort of what a political earthquake feels like.
After falling short of the necessary votes to retain his position Sunday night, embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan suspended his campaign re-election to the position. Democrats from across the state were shocked by Madigan’s announcement.
“I guess he doesn’t think he has the votes,” said a seemingly dumbfounded Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur).
Others believe Madigan sees the proverbial “writing on the wall.”
“It’s a recognition of the realities on the ground which is that there aren’t 60 votes for the Speaker to be re-elected as Speaker in the next General Assembly,” said Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago). “His statement is a response to the reality he saw in our caucus.”
Guzzardi opposes Madigan’s re-election.
“I guess he made a conscious decision about whether or not he felt he really could get to 60 votes,” said Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood), who supported Madigan’s efforts Sunday night.
Others think there may be something else behind Madigan’s movements.
“It [caught] everybody by surprise,” said Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford). “As we know, he plays three-dimensional chess, so we were trying to figure out what he was doing. If he feels that was best for the caucus, then kudos to him.”
Some, like Rep. Carol Ammons (D-Urbana), praised Madigan for the move.
“It’s a sign of true leadership when you say ‘if there’s no path for me to do something, I don’t want to stand in the way of the progress of this caucus,’” Ammons said. “I’m looking for a process that will get us to 60 votes and a person the general caucus, all of us, Black, white, Latino, Asian members of our caucus can stand behind and get a strong leader in place.”
One of Madigan’s leading opponents, Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), wasn’t sure what to make of the move.
“I’m not sure where the Speaker’s at with it except I think it gives Illinois a real chance to move forward and have a new chapter,” said Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), who had the second highest vote total in the first round of voting in the Democratic caucus Sunday.
It isn’t clear how many of Madigan’s 51 votes from the first ballot will stick with him in subsequent caucus ballots, or on the floor Wednesday. Without a consensus before Wednesday, the choice for Speaker could drag on for days or weeks.