Lake County Gazette

Illinois Senate District 49 candidate Thomas McCullagh (R-Shorewood) is hoping enough voters in Illinois are finally ready to put their words into action.

“Everyone talks about being tired of paying the corruption tax we’re all forced to pay here in Illinois,” McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. “Well, now is the chance to do something about it.”

McCullagh wants voters to channel the outrage many of them are expressing now over longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) when it comes time to vote in November. The powerful 30-year lawmaker is presently at the center of a developing federal corruption probe involving Commonwealth Edison and a pay-for-play scandal.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) | File photo

McCullagh argues that the fact that Madigan still has the support of many members of his party, as evidenced by the more than $555,000 he was recently able to raise during a one-day political fundraiser, shows just how deep the swamp runs in Springfield.

“Plus, they know he has a long pole from all his years in power and no one wants to be the first to bail on him,” said McCullagh, who is running against Illinois state Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood).

Chairman of four political groups in total, Madigan is now reported to have nearly $23 million in his coffers. Most observers regard him as the most powerful figure in Illinois state politics.

But all that power comes at the expense of those who want to stamp out corruption in state government, McCullagh argues.

“As long as Mike Madigan is control and decides what direction the House will take, there’s no chance for real ethics reform in Springfield,” he said. “Right now, we’ve got the House investigating its own members whenever there’s an issue, and Mike Madigan pulling all the strings. With that kind of setup, reform doesn’t have a chance.”