Will County Gazette

With Mike Madigan now out of the mix in Springfield, former Republican Senate candidate Thomas McCullagh said the hard work begins in terms of rebuilding Illinois.

"We've got a lot of work to do to recover from all his bad deeds," McCullagh told the Will County Gazette. "When you think about all the corruption, it could take decades for this state to get all the damage worked out."

Following several recent setbacks, the Chicago Democrat said on Feb. 18 that he would resign his District 22 House seat, ending his run as the state's longest-serving lawmaker. On Feb. 22, he also resigned as chair of the Illinois Democratic Party.

Prior to his resignations, Madigan's growing political backlash boiled over when lawmakers tapped Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Hillside) as House speaker over Madigan — who held the post for nearly 40 years.

The Chicago Democrat had been facing pressure to resign after being linked to a federal Department of Justice corruption probe involving ComEd.

While Madigan has not been charged and continues to proclaim his innocence, ComEd agreed to pay a $200 million fine. At least four individuals with known ties to Madigan have been indicted in connection with the still-unfolding probe.

"I believe Madigan's resignation is part of a plea deal, maybe with the feds, where he gets to stay out of jail by telling everything he knows," McCullagh added.

At the same time, McCullagh said that if residents want policy changes in Springfield, now is the time to take a stand.

"I worry we've got too many people shifting to far to the left," said McCullagh, adding that despite what he believes were Madigan's faults, the Democrat was moderate with his policies. "Look to the school bill now being pushed and the crime bill the governor just signed. If diehard Democrats are allowed to take over, it won't be better for people."

While Welch has made it a point of talking about how Democrats want to work together and understand the need for more bipartisan legislation, McCullagh said he would have to see it to believe it.

"All the talk is just filling a political checkbox," he said. "I guess it could happen, but I'd actually have to see it."