Pritzker says Madigan should step down as party chairman

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday said that Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan should step down as chairman of the state Democratic Party, agreeing with the state's senior U.S. senator that the longtime political powerbroker's implication in a federal bribery investigation hurt Democrats in Tuesday's elections.

Pritzker made a more general statement on Wednesday that voters jaded by a spate of corruption involving Democrats had helped sink his administration's top priority, implementing a graduated income tax that would hit the wealthy harder and generate billions of dollars to help Illinois' sad fiscal state.

But after Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, told WTTW-TV Wednesday night that he blamed Democratic electoral setbacks on Madigan's refusal to step aside after he was named by the Justice Department as a participant in a decade-long bribery scheme admitted to by utility company ComEd, Pritzker went further.

'œI agree with Sen. Durbin that opponents were able to tap into voters)'concerns about corruption and their lack of trust in government ...,'ť Pritzker said of the failed tax amendment. 'œThe Republicans and the billionaires that sided with them were able to use the speaker as their foil and that hurt our ability, our state's ability to get things done.'ť

When asked if that meant he supported new party leadership, Pritzker said, 'œYes.'ť

Pritzker and Durbin were joined late Thursday by Sen. Tammy Duckworth in calling for Madigan to step down as state party leader. However, she went further by calling for Madigan's ouster as Illinois House speaker.

'œThe ongoing investigation surrounding Speaker Madigan is an unnecessary distraction and makes it harder to carry out the work of helping the people of Illinois,'ť Duckworth said in a statement, adding new leadership is need to continue the progress Democrats have made at the state level.

ComEd admitted in a deferred prosecution agreement signed with the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Illinois in July that its top administrators offered no-work lobbyist jobs and sub-contracts to allies of Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation. Madigan is identified in the document only as House speaker. He has not been charged with a crime and denies wrongdoing.

His spokeswomen did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Durbin, the Senates' No. 2 Democrat, who cruised to re-election to a fifth term on Tuesday, told WTTW-TV that Democrats 'œpaid a heavy price'ť for Madigan's refusal to step away from the party chairmanship. He also has rebuffed calls to give up the speaker's gavel, which has had held for 35 of the past 37 years, controlling Springfield's agenda and choosing the politicians who pursue it.

'œCandidates who had little or no connection with him whatsoever were being tarred as Madigan allies who are behind corruption," Durbin said.

In addition to the failed tax amendment, Democrats lost seats in the state House, Madigan ally and Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride failed to win retention to a third, 10-year term. In central Illinois, Democrat Betsy Dirksen Londrigan, after losing to GOP Rep. Rodney Davis by 2,000 votes in 2018, was hammered in her rematch by a Davis ad that tied her to Madigan, although the two don't interact, that said 'œBetsy Londrigan will make Washington more corrupt.'ť

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Follow Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor