CHICAGO – Illinois Policy Institute raises a relevant question for the state's political observers: Would JB Pritzker ever dare to challenge House Speaker Mike Madigan's power by offering campaign dollars to those that defy the Speaker?
Could be wishful thinking, or it could happen. Neither Blagojevich or Quinn had their own resources to test this theory. But it's very different with JB Pritzker.
Here's Illinois Policy's theory:
Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is about to see two things he’s never seen before. And given he’s been in the Statehouse since 1971, that’s saying something.
The first is the strength of his majority.
Democrats have never held more than 72 seats in the 118-member Illinois House, with the high water mark coming in 1991. The magic number required to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot and override the governor’s veto is 71 votes.
As of Nov. 8, House Democrats are in line for 73 House seats in 2019, possibly 74 – a new record. It will be Madigan’s largest majority ever.
The second is the type of person who will occupy the governor’s office.
Madigan has worked with two governors of his own party since he was first elected House speaker in 1983: Rod Blagojevich and Pat Quinn. These two men were not shrewd power brokers, to say the least. Madigan could pinion both at will.
Enter billionaire Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker, who just spent more than $170 million to unseat Gov. Bruce Rauner. That money is a total game-changer for Madigan’s Democratic Party, which has traditionally relied on government worker unions, trial lawyers and business interests who need special favors in order to fill its coffers.
