Rockford Sun

Kathie Hansen suspects her Democrat rival Maurice West Jr.’s late stance against beleaguered House Speaker Mike Madigan isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

“I’ve been challenging him all summer to take a stance against Madigan and now, just before the election, he comes out to say he won’t support him in the position,” Hansen told the Rockford Sun. “With everything that’s going on with Madigan, I think if he were really serious about this he would be calling on him to step down right away.”

The state’s longest-tenured lawmaker, Madigan now finds himself at the center of a still unfolding federal corruption probe involving ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme where all the perks were allegedly steered to him in exchange for favorable legislation. In addition to the criminal probe, a bipartisan Special House committee has now been convened to look into the matter and the Speaker’s purported involvement, which could potentially lead to House expulsion for the chairman of the state democratic party.

Challenging West in the 67th District, Hansen argues all the rampant corruption now dogging Springfield is all the motivation she needs.

“I’m going to Springfield to make a real difference for people,” she added. “We need people there that are only willing to serve and put the people first.”

Hansen argues Madigan’s refusal to appear before the Special House committee for questioning speaks to just how accustomed he’s become to doing things his own in his roughly four decades of being in power in Springfield.

“I think it indicates a lack of transparency that is quite common in Springfield,” she added. “It seems the evidence is stacking up against him and his unwillingness to testify is another indication of guilt.”