Prairie State Wire

Dan Proft, host of "Chicago's Morning Answer," said that the 7.5-year prison sentence for Michael Madigan represents a modest but deserved outcome, though it does not reverse the harm done to Illinois. The statement was made on X.

"7.5 years for Madigan," said Proft, Radio Show Host. "Judge Blakey gave the proper weight to those pleas for leniency from the pantheon of Illinois' big government hacks, grifters, rent-seekers, and tax-eaters--which is to say little to none. It doesn't do anything to undo the mortal damage Madigan (and his character witnesses) did to Illinois but at least he will rot in jail like any other crime family boss. It's a modicum of justice."

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced to 7½ years in federal prison and fined $2.5 million in June 2025 after being convicted of racketeering, bribery, and wire fraud in a high-profile ComEd corruption case. This case sparked strong public backlash and renewed calls for political reform, as reported by AP News.

According to a University of Illinois Chicago study, Illinois’ Northern District recorded over 1,750 public corruption convictions from 1976 to 2018. The state continues to average nearly 29 convictions a year, giving Illinois one of the nation’s highest rates of political corruption.

A 2022 analysis reported by Wikipedia found that Illinois ranked second in the nation for federal public corruption convictions between 1976 and 2012, trailing only New York. While national conviction rates fell by about 50% through 2022, Illinois remains among the top states.

Proft is a conservative radio talk show host who has been co-hosting "Chicago’s Morning Answer" on AM 560 since 2015. He is also a former Republican gubernatorial candidate and longtime media commentator with a weekly reach of over two million listeners, according to Rephonic and Wikipedia.