Lake County Gazette

Even if House Speaker Mike Madigan is finally shown the door in Springfield, state Sen. Craig Wilcox warns chances are we haven’t seen the last of the state’s longest-tenured lawmaker.

“I don’t think there’s any chance of that,” Wilcox told the Lake County Gazette. “You can remove him from the speakership, maybe even as Democratic Party chairman, but I don’t think Democrats are ready to see him disappear altogether. I’m convinced they still want his ability to pull in money and hold influence.”

As it is, at least 18 Democratic lawmakers now insist they have no intentions of supporting Madigan’s re-election campaign. After nearly four decades in power, Madigan now finds himself at the center of a still-ongoing federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scandal where all the perks were allegedly steered to the state’s longest-tenured lawmaker in exchange for favorable legislation.

Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan | File Photo

More recently, four Madigan associates were indicted in connection with the scheme, including longtime pal and local lobbyist Michael McClain, who counts bribery among the charges he faces.

“No one knows for certain what will happen, or if the Speaker will be indicted, but either way Republicans have to be smart...," Wilcox said. If he goes, we have to be smart enough to pick a Democratic replacement we can work with across the aisle. I would imagine there are major discussions to be held and they need to be about who really wants to do the work of the people."

Wilcox explained that his nearly three years in Springfield have left him with a clear understanding of how things work on many fronts.

“I really don’t think you get to just push a guy like that completely out of the picture,” Wilcox said. “And even if he goes, solving many of our problems will take more than that. That doesn’t erase Democrats’ ties to the unions and other power sources across the state.”