(The Center Square) – An incumbent Democratic state representative running unopposed for another term announced she’s also running for speaker of the Illinois House.
This summer, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, called for current House Speaker Michael Madigan to resign amid a federal corruption probe he’s implicated in. Madigan hasn’t been charged with a crime and maintains he’s done nothing wrong.
Madigan has been speaker of the House for all but two years since 1983. He is also the only politician in the country to be both the statehouse Speaker and the chair of a statewide political party, allowing him to control political funds and legislation. Madigan has been chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois since 1998.
Thursday, Kifowit announced she’s seeking the Democratic nomination for the speakership role in the next General Assembly that’s seated in January.
“Based on my values, I was compelled on July 30th of this year to write a letter to Speaker Madigan stating that the right thing for him to do is to step down as Speaker for compromising the integrity of the office and undermining the public trust,” she said in a statement. “The response from Michael Madigan was to double down and has remained that way. It is clear to me that he doesn’t hold the same values that I do and falls short of what the public expects from an elected official. Therefore, I am announcing today that I intend to seek the democratic nomination for Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives for the 102nd General Assembly.”
State Rep. Mike Murphy, R-Springfield, reacted on WMAY radio Thursday morning.
“Not totally surprised that someone is stepping up and making a challenge,” Murphy said. “Gotta give Stephanie credit here, she was one of the earliest ones to ask for the speaker to resign. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have at least one or two more in the next month or so, especially with the election coming up.
“I think Stephanie has some issues she’ll have to deal with before she gets support from her caucus,” he said, but acknowledged he doesn’t know the internal operations of the Democratic caucus. “There might be other candidates that get more traction.”
Upon swearing in for their two-year term for a new General Assembly, members of the House of Representatives vote for a new House speaker every two years. The next General Assembly will be seated in January.
