Existing Strife Between Top Dems May Be Holding Up Action
Governor JB Pritzker, House Majority Leader Greg Harris (D-Chicago), House Speaker Chris Welch, and Senate President Don Harmon at a news conference in Springfield. Sources say tension between the three top Democrats has escalated in recent weeks.
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It’s not a particular secret in Springfield that House Speaker Chris Welch and Senate President Don Harmon don’t like each other very much. And as last year’s tense negotiations over an energy bill showed, Harmon and Governor Pritzker are not buddy-buddy.
Democrats have a bit of a scattered message in the waning days of the legislative session, and there are plenty of insiders speculating that Welch, Harmon, and Pritzker are not on the same page.
“Welch is trying to navigate a wildly fractured caucus,” said one insider. “It isn’t helping House and Senate Democrats get on the same page.”
In recent days, there has been a patchwork of criminal justice proposals ranging from progressive Democrats to more moderate wings of the party, all having been criticized for not actually preventing crime or penalizing crime.
“Moderates are doing a Hail Mary pass,” said the same insider. “They are getting overloaded on crime in their communities and complaints to their office, and they know they’re vulnerable in the fall. But it doesn’t look like the progressives care.”
One Democrat we spoke to said all three are attempting to be “king of the hill” within the state Democrat infrastructure, and often complain openly about each other. We’re told it has led to a “tense” mood as the leaders and Governor have negotiated priorities during the spring session.
When asked how Harmon’s relationship with Welch and Pritzker is currently, a spokesman would only say “great.” Neither spokespeople for Welch or Pritzker responded to our request for comment.