Black Caucus Backs Rep. Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch To Succeed Madigan

SPRINGFIELD, IL — After Speaker Michael Madigan announced Monday he had suspended his campaign for another term in charge of the Illinois House, one of his closest supporters, Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, entered the race to succeed him.

Welch, a Hillside Democrat, received the endorsement of Black lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

"I am honored to be called upon my colleagues from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus to put my name in for consideration," Welch said in a statement. "This historic moment in Illinois and across the country calls for new representation and unity of democratic beliefs. I want to thank Speaker Madigan for his leadership — it has been a challenging year for us all but I am grateful for his commitment to serving the public."

The Black Caucus had previously endorsed Madigan for a 19th term in office, although one of its 22 state representatives, Rep. Maurice West of Rockford, joined a group of 19 House Democrats that publicly committed not to vote for the Southwest Side party boss who has held the speakership for all but two out of the last 38 years.

The caucus thanked Madigan for his leadership and public service in a statement Monday.

"We believe that in order to unite our state and party, we need to nominate a leader who will bridge the divide and seek solutions for our urgent issues," it said. "Rep. Chris Welch has worked his entire life to advocate for his district and for communities across the state. We are confident that he will succeed in leading our party and prioritizing our communities."

The first order of business for members of the Illinois House after being sworn in at noon Wednesday is a vote for their speaker. A total of 60 votes are needed to claim the gavel. There will be 73 House Democrats seated.

In a closed-door vote Sunday, Madigan had the support of 51 state representatives. Ann Williams, of Chicago, secured 18 votes. Stephanie Kifowit, of Oswego, picked up three votes. One member abstained.

It was not immediately clear whether Welch would have the support of all of Madigan's backers, or how many of the 22 state reps who opposed another term for the speaker might support him.

RELATED: Mike Madigan Suspends Campaign For House Speaker

Last year, Welch was appointed to chair a bipartisan special legislative committee established to investigate Madigan's degree of involvement in a bribery scheme that led to a $200 million fine and deferred prosecution agreement for Commonwealth Edison and indictments for several of its top executives as well as a lobbyist and longtime confidant of the speaker.

With three Democrats and three Republicans, the committee voted along party lines to block efforts to compel Madigan to testify. A GOP spokesperson described Welch's role as that of a "human shield for his mentor, Mike Madigan." After hearing from a single witness over three hearings, Democrats voted to find Madigan had not engaged in conduct unbecoming to a legislator.

Madigan, identified as "Public Official A" in court documents describing the scheme to bribe him, has not been charged with a crime and has denied any wrongdoing in written statements. He has said making job recommendations is not a crime.

More people with connections to Welch were recommended by Madigan's office for jobs following the election of Gov. J.B. Pritzker than anyone else in the early months of his administration — including Welch's wife and mother — although the governor only hired one of the six people recommended according to records obtained by WBEZ. Later in 2019, Welch gave Madigan's political committees more than $115,000, crediting the speaker with the party's ability to maintain a supermajority in the House.

RELATED: Will Your Illinois State Rep Vote For Speaker Mike Madigan?

Welch was first elected to the Illinois House in 2013. Before that, he served on the Proviso Township High School Board of Education. He is also a partner at the local government law firm Ancel Glink. He currently serves as chairman of the powerful House Executive Committee.

Rep. Jay Hoffman, of Swansea, is also preparing to enter the speaker's race, Crain's Chicago Business reported. A second internal vote of the House Democratic caucus could come as early as Tuesday evening.