Democratic legislator from Glenview says Madigan should step down

A Glenview legislator who has benefited from nearly $247,000 in contributions from House Speaker Michael Madigan is now calling for the beleaguered political powerhouse to step down, saying the legislature can't function below a cloud of "distractions, doubt or distrust."

Democratic State Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz is joining the slowly growing list of House Democrats calling on Madigan to immediately resign from his leadership roles in the Illinois House and the state's Democratic Party, saying federal investigations into corruption "at the highest levels have created a crisis of confidence and undermined the integrity and public trust that leadership demands."

Madigan has been implicated in the ComEd bribery scandal but has not been charged. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he has no plans to resign.

In an interview with the Sun-Times, Gong-Gershowitz - whose district covers parts of Evanston, Wilmette and Glenview - said she was calling for Madigan to step down now because "it's the right thing to do."

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