Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch says he'll step down as caucus leader in face of Democratic mutiny

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | November 6, 2026 | Mitchell Armentrout

[PBRCat]

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch announced Thursday he won’t seek another term at the helm of his chamber next year, acknowledging his tenure was doomed after 26 Democratic state representatives signed a statement calling for a change in leadership.

The seismic statehouse shakeup comes in the wake of revelations over the summer that Welch was aware of sexual harassment allegations against disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, almost three years before additional complaints prompted Benton’s resignation.

The call for new leadership was distributed late Wednesday by North Side state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, the most vocal public critic of Welch’s handling of the case and his formation of a working group that she dismissed as a “smokescreen” instead of addressing Springfield’s entrenched culture of harassment.

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TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Illinois
KEYWORDS: cassidy; democrats; welch; woke

[PBRCat]

The Purge has begun before Inauguration Day.

Record electoral gains were not enough to safeguard Speaker Welch. Kelly Cassidy is one of the most radical LGBTQ members of the Illinois General Assembly.

[packrat35]

Watch as they force WOKE 3.0 on us with a vengeance. Since America voted for it, they can’t complain.

[gibsonguy]

Kelly Cassidy is one of the most radical LGBTQ members of the Illinois General Assembly”

It begins. The legions of clueless morons who did this have no idea of the misery that is coming like a train, but boy are they going to find out.