Chicago City Wire

Gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker has added more ammo to his mission to give state control to House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), the lllinois Republican Party suggested in a recent press release.

"Jesse White is Mike Madigan’s top patronage chief, using the Secretary of State’s office as a jobs machine for Madigan allies," GOP spokesperson Steven Yaffe said in the release. "J.B. Pritzker’s willingness to accept the endorsement of the Speaker’s top patronage chief is just another sign that Mike Madigan is orchestrating Pritzker’s nomination."

The Illinois GOP noted that White only recently announced his decision to go back on his vow not to run for re-election. The party contended that White changed his mind on the urging of Madigan. 

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White | By Daniel X. O'Neil from USA - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White at Rahm Emanuel Victory Party 2011, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23032410

If re-elected, White would enter sixth term as secretary of state.