Representative Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch succeeds Mike Madigan as Illinois House president

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WLS) – Hillside Democratic Rep. Emanuel “Chris” Welch is the next president of Illinois House, succeeding Mike Madigan, who has held the office for decades.

Welch was elected president when the 102nd General Assembly convened at noon on Wednesday.

Welch is the first black speaker and succeeds Mike Madigan who has held the position for almost two years, since 1983.

“As president of this chamber, it is an incredible responsibility. I am honored and committed to doing it to the best of my ability, ”Welch said.

Welch defeated several rivals, including two women who were vying for the role of lecturer. It took three caucus votes in the past two days before he was elevated to the leadership position.

After lawmakers were sworn in on Wednesday afternoon, Welch was elected with 70 votes, 10 more than he needed.

“Welch hasn’t chosen this moment. The timing has chosen Welch,” said State Representative Maurice West (D-Rockford).

The new speaker comes at a time when the state is grappling with a significant budget deficit and economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What we need to do is get this virus under control,” Welch said. “If we are to grow our economy properly, we have to admit that the federal government’s weekly and monthly approach to COVID-19 is not working.”

Welch called from both sides of the aisle to work together.

“We are meeting the challenge of the moment by being united, not divided. We are not Democrats or Republicans when we come to work,” Welch said. “Today will be the last time I will talk about us as Democrats and Republicans because I want to talk about our union.”

Madigan announced Monday that he is suspending his candidacy for re-election as president after failing the required 60 votes in a caucus over the weekend. Wednesday marked 50 years as a representative of Madigan State.

Welch praised Madigan for his contribution to Illinois, but Republican Leader Jim Durkin drew complaints from Democrats when he lambasted Madigan, who is leaving the President’s office as he was under federal investigation on corruption at ComEd. He called on Welch to break with Madigan’s iron-fisted model of leadership.

“I’m going to operate in good faith, but the way I’ve seen it go from the start of the special committee of inquiry until today, and, like I said, I’m going to set the button reset, “Mr. Welch is very close to President Madigan,” said Durkin. ” I extend the olive branch of cooperation from today. “

Welch received unanimous approval from the black House caucus and, in the first ballot, by the full Democratic caucus, received 50 votes last night.

A second round of voting on Wednesday morning gave Welch 55 votes with 17 lawmakers in attendance. Madigan did not take part in the vote, but remained at the President’s office in the capital where his spokesperson said he had started collecting items to be moved.

According to State Representative Mike Zalewski, during a morning caucus, Welch defended himself against allegations that recently surfaced about a 2002 domestic violence incident involving a girlfriend who said to Hillside Police that Welch slammed his head on a counter after an argument. Welch also addressed a federal lawsuit in 2010 by another woman who alleged sexual harassment and retaliation.

Madigan released a statement Wednesday after the vote saying, “As I prepare to pass the President’s gavel to a new generation of Democratic leaders, I want to thank the residents of my district and members of the House Democratic caucus for faith and trust they I would like to thank my staff for their hard work on behalf of all members of this caucus. It has been the honor of a lifetime to help bring together people of experience and different backgrounds to serve our state.

“It is time to take on new leadership in the House. I wish President-elect Welch all the best as he embarks on a historic term. I sincerely hope today that the caucus I leave to him and all who will serve by his side is Stronger than when I started. And when I look at the vast and diverse Democratic majority that we have assembled, full of young leaders ready to continue to move our state forward, strong women and people of color. , and members representing all parts of our state. I have no doubts that Illinois remains in good hands. “

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released a statement saying: “House Democrats have chosen to go from Mike Madigan, America’s most corrupt politician, to Representative Chris Welch, a lieutenant in high level Madigan who has been credibly accused by several women in court documents of harassment, assault and retaliation.

It is now clear that House Democrats are stepping up to allow Madigan’s corrupt machine to continue running state government. In Madigan’s place, they promoted a serial stalker and a female abuser. But despite that, Welch passed the most important test this fall – he’s been a staunch ally of Madigan for years, but most recently he played the role of Madigan’s human shield in legislative hearings investigating the scandal of corruption that ultimately brought down Madigan.

This move is a travesty for the people of Illinois, and we’ll make sure every voter understands that House Democrats simply can’t leave Madigan. ”