SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Tuesday will be a busy day for any Illinois House Democrat who wants to be speaker.
About 12 hours after House Speaker Michael Madigan said he would suspend his reelection campaign, members of the Black Caucus of the Illinois House of Representatives unanimously chose Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside) to enter the fray.
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Rep. Maurice West II (D) responded to criticism of Welch is too close of an ally to the Speaker.
"I wouldn't say he is Madigan 2.0. He is Emanuel “Chris” Welch. He is going to show the caucus and prove to the caucus he is Emanuel “Chris” Welch. This is 2021, looking forward to a new day," he said.
West is the only black representative among the so-called 19 breaking away from Madigan.
A straw vote Sunday saw the embattled Madigan as the leading candidate with 51 votes. That would leave him nine votes short of the required 60 to win the election.
The other candidates are Reps. Stephanie Kifowit (D-Oswego), who was the first to announce a bid against Madigan back in October, received three votes; and Ann Williams (D-Chicago), who received 18 votes. More could decide to make a run for it as well.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said Monday night Madigan did not plan to support a candidate other than himself.
Illinois has had neither a person of color nor a woman as speaker. Madigan’s support eroded as the #MeToo scandal swept through his operations, and as a federal investigation implicated him in a decade-long bribery scheme involving Commonwealth Edison.
It is expected House Democrats will vote at least once before Wednesday’s formal vote during the inauguration of the 102nd General Assembly.