A state representative for Bloomington-Normal was among the 26 Democrats calling for a new speaker of the House in Springfield.
Within hours, Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch issued a statement stepping out of the running for House leadership.
"I am proud of this work, but I serve at the pleasure of our caucus," the statement read in part. "I look forward to joining the caucus as we usher in our next leader and take our party further into the future."
Welch has led the Illinois House of Representatives since 2021, when former Speaker Mike Madigan ended his decades-long tenure, resigned from the General Assembly and was charged with racketeering, wire fraud and other corruption. Madigan is serving a 7.5-year sentence in federal prison.
State Rep. Sharon Chung represents most of Bloomington-Normal and parts of Woodford and Tazewell counties through East Peoria.
She signed onto the following statement:
“Over the course of the last few months, we have grown increasingly convinced that the House Democratic Caucus needs new leadership. We represent a broad spectrum of our caucus, and each have come to this decision for our own reasons. We look forward to a robust race for a new Speaker of the House.”
Chung said her “own reasons” consisted of critiques of how Welch and his office handled sexual misconduct allegations against former state Rep. Harry Benton. However, she also criticized some of his rules for bringing bills to the house floor.
“It wasn’t just one thing to be honest with you,” Chung said during an interview Thursday afternoon.
She said Welch’s office implements a rule that a bill will not be called on the house floor unless it already has 60 Democrats willing to vote on it.
Chung said she is part of a group within the Democratic caucus that calls itself the “New Democrats.” She said that group focuses on bipartisanship and a moderate viewpoint, and its proposals do not always have the 60 Democratic votes required.
“I think sometimes our voices, in the past have gotten a little muddied and have been ignored, and that’s kind of been a frustration of ours and mine,” she said.
The speaker of the House is chosen by vote. There are 118 members of the House, 78 of them Democrats and 40 Republicans. The Republican minority will shrink further after in January after the most recent election.
Current estimates suggest anyone seeking the speakership must gain at least 60 Democratic votes to win. The 26 detractors left Welch short of that number, even after those recent gains.
Chung said she has a favorite in mind for the position, but that there is no clear frontrunner for a new speaker among Democrats. She is looking for a speaker that will address the broad needs of the state beyond the densely populated and deeply blue Chicago.
“I want somebody I can trust who has the same sort of moral compass as I do,” she said. “Somebody … that can be able to wrangle all the different legislators and all our different geographical challenges.”
Chung said she would love to see a speaker from outside the Chicago area, but that she didn’t know if it was possible.
The only other area Democrat, state Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, did not sign onto the statement. Gordon-Booth is an assistant majority leader of the house Democratic caucus.
WGLT reached out to Gordon-Booth’s office via phone and email Thursday afternoon.
