Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch faces mutiny of 26 Democrats calling for new leader after Benton scandal

Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch’s tenure as leader of his chamber’s supermajority caucus is in jeopardy after 26 Democratic state representatives issued a statement calling for new leadership.

The mutiny 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 letter 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 “lip service” to addressing Springfield’s entrenched culture of harassment.

But the letter drew signatures from nearly a third of the caucus that’ll be sworn in with a new General Assembly in January, including Cicero state Rep. Lisa Hernandez, chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Their brief statement doesn’t name Welch or identify specific reasons for his ouster.

“Over the course of the last few months, we have grown increasingly convinced that the House Democratic Caucus needs new leadership,” the letter says. “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.”

A Welch spokesperson didn’t have any immediate comment.

The revolt follows a historic flexing of political muscle by the three-term speaker’s political operation, which expanded Democrats’ control of the House to a modern-record 78-40 supermajority in 2022.

The Welch-controlled Democrats for the Illinois House political committee raised $35 million to flip at least five more seats in Tuesday’s general election, turning Illinois’ heavily gerrymandered political map an even deeper shade of blue. With two other seats still in play as mail ballots trickled in, that disparity could rise as high as 85-33 over Republicans.

“This is what a winning political operation looks like," Welch said in a statement issued several hours before the bloc of his colleagues called for a new speaker.

The list includes three incoming representatives freshly elected with Welch’s backing, including state Rep.-elect Jessica Dixon Heitman, who won a full term to Benton’s former seat with the help of $1.6 million in support from Welch-controlled funds.

Nineteen of the 26 signatories are women. Four are part of Welch’s own leadership team: Hernandez, who’s deputy majority leader; plus assistant majority leaders Eva-Dina Delgado, Bob Morgan and Katie Stuart.

Their votes would be enough to block Welch from the gavel even with their party’s staggering new majority.

Welch would need support from across the aisle to secure the simple 60-vote majority required to lead the chamber for a fourth term.

"For me, the decision came down to believing women who come forward as survivors of sexual harassment and creating a safer workplace environment for all who work in our Capitol and look to the Speaker for guidance and mentorship," state Rep. Anne Stava, D-Downers Grove, said in a statement. "I look forward to a robust process of selecting our new speaker of Illinois House. Change is rarely easy, but in my experience worth the sacrifices needed to get there."

Welch was elected as Illinois’ first Black speaker in 2021 in the wake of Michael Madigan’s downfall, which was precipitated in part by the legendary ex-political boss’ mishandling of misconduct allegations within his once-vaunted 13th Ward organization.

After Madigan’s 36 years as speaker, legislators set a limit of five terms with the gavel.

The Benton investigation raised questions about Welch’s own behavior, including social media interactions with a complainant in the Benton case that left the young woman uncomfortable, while using an encrypted messaging app to invite her to meet at a bar.

The fiasco also renewed scrutiny of a 2002 suburban police report that alleged Welch slammed a woman’s head into a countertop during an argument. He was never criminally charged and has denied wrongdoing.

But even before the Benton scandal, some House Democrats had privately grumbled about Welch’s command of sometimes chaotic caucus meetings, as well as a policy of not calling bills for a floor vote without 60 Democrats first signaling support.

Welch apologized for how he handled the case over the summer, maintaining that he had no choice but to continue backing Benton without a formal complaint to spur an investigation.

Several members passed on participating in the House working group Welch convened to discuss harassment reporting mechanisms in the Capitol.

Lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield Nov. 17 for the fall veto session.