November 20, 2020
Democrats, scared straight by election results, poised to oust political boss of the nation’s most corrupt state
By Thomas Lifson
One of the most significant emerging Democrat defeats appears to be underway in Illinois, where donkey state legislators – pols that escaped with their seats -- are scared of voters’ wrath over their party’s boss of bosses. The man who has run that state for decades – a far more powerful than any governor – may be losing his perch. The Chicago Tribune reports:
House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, long undisputed in his role as Illinois’ [sic] most powerful politician, now finds his leadership hanging on the precipice as the state faces one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.
A day after his closest political ally was indicted in a bribery and influence-buying scheme involving Commonwealth Edison, Madigan on Thursday saw eight more of his rank-and-file House members pledge not to reelect him when lawmakers reconvene in January.
Illinois voters didn’t turn the state red, as Democrats retain control of the legislative and executive branches. But they did send a message to the ruling party:
Illinois Democrats, like those nationally, anticipated the outcome of the Nov. 3 election would be a huge blue wave spurred by four controversial years under Republican President Donald Trump.
Instead, Democrats saw voters resoundingly reject Pritzker’s prized agenda item, replacing the state’s constitutionally mandated flat-rate income tax with a graduated-rate tax; turn down Democratic Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride’s bid for retention; and defeat central Illinois congressional candidate Betsy Dirksen Londrigan’s effort to unseat four-term GOP U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis.
While the outpouring of voters spurred by Trump’s reelection campaign was not expected by Democrats, the party’s candidates also said that instead of talking to voters about their issues during the campaign, they frequently were asked how they felt about Madigan. After an intense political year, some say he has become more than a distraction and is now a detriment.
Such was the case for Dick Durbin, the state’s senior Democratic senator, who attributed Londrigan’s defeat to efforts by Davis’ camp to tie her to Madigan.
With Durbin, fellow U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Pritzker all calling for new leadership of the party, rank-and-file members were forced to deal with questions about whether Madigan should step down from his governmental or party leadership, or both.
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https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/11/democrats_scared_straight_by_election_results_poised_to_oust_political_boss_of_the_nations_most_corrupt_state.html
