26 Illinois House Democrats Sign Letter Calling for a New Speaker
Twenty-six Democratic members of the Illinois House issued a joint statement on November 5 calling for a new House speaker, a substantive new development in legislative leadership politics after the midterm elections. State Representative Sharon Chung, who represents the Bloomington-Normal area covering most of McLean County and parts of Woodford and Tazewell counties, is among the signers. She said a rule in place since Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch took office in 2021, requiring a bill to have the support of 60 Democratic members before it can be scheduled for a full House vote, has impeded the legislative process. The House has 118 seats, 78 held by Democrats and 40 by Republicans, and the Republican ranks will shrink further when the new General Assembly convenes in January. The speaker is elected by all members, and a candidate needs at least 60 Democratic votes. Chung said she has a preferred candidate in mind but that there is no clear front-runner yet; she hopes the next speaker will attend to broad needs across the state beyond Chicago, ideally coming from outside the Chicago area. Apart from Chung, the other central Illinois Democrat, State Representative Jehan Gordon-Booth of Peoria, did not sign the statement.
(Source: Joint statement of Illinois House Democratic members)
Source: Joint statement of Illinois House Democratic members
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 伊利诺伊州议会大厦（图：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0） / The Illinois State Capitol in Springfield (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
