The Illinois Republican Party is taking J.B. Pritzker to task over his refusal to call for the ouster, or even criticize, longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago).
Pritzker is set to face off against Gov. Bruce Rauner in November’s general election after knocking off Chris Kennedy and Daniel Biss in the Democratic primary.
With Pritzker’s support, Madigan appears poised for another four-year term when members of the Democratic Party State Central Committee cast their votes to elect a party chairman.
"With so many decades of scandal and corruption, you think Illinois Democrats would be tired of Mike Madigan dragging their party down, but no,” Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot said in a press release. “J.B. Pritzker, who sits at the top of the ticket for Illinois Democrats in 2018, thinks Madigan should stay. Pritzker and Madigan need each other so they can push their tax hike agenda on hard-working Illinois taxpayers and families."
An article in Crain’s Chicago Business said although chatter about Madigan’s potential removal has been louder than usual this year, the noise has recently toned down with Pritzker officially emerging as the face of the party.
“Democratic candidates for governor, Daniel Biss and Chris Kennedy, called on Madigan to relinquish his chairmanship, but both lost in the primary,” the article noted. “And the two names that were being mentioned as possible replacements – U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) and state Comptroller Susana Mendoza – are not interested, say sources close to them."
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