‘Circus’ of picking next Illinois House speaker could compound state’s problems

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he has the votes to continue to be speaker. Other Democrats project he doesn’t. It’s setting up what could make for what a political observer called a “circus.”

“The decision on the next speaker of the Illinois House will be made at a caucus, after a full discussion of the issues facing our state and the qualifications of the candidates,” Madigan, D-Chicago, said in a statement late Friday. “I plan to be a candidate for speaker, and today I confirmed that I continue to have support from a significant number of House Democratic caucus members.”