Chicago City Wire

Former House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) is no longer in politics after 50 years of wielding power in Illinois.

Madigan resigned from his final political position as chairman of the Illinois Democratic Party. 

The move came weeks after he lost his bid for the Speaker of the House, a position he held for 36 years combined, and announced his resignation as a state representative in the 22nd House District after 50 years amid a federal investigation into an ever deepening bribery scandal. 

“Over the last two decades, we have elected a diverse array of Democrats across Illinois and helped send a hometown Chicago leader to the White House, turning Illinois into a Democratic stronghold in the Midwest,” Madigan said in a news release. “Together, we faced conservative extremism and stood up for working men and women.”

He said he was sure Illinois would continue to be a progressive stronghold.

Until Madigan is replaced, Cook County Clerk Karen Yarborough, the current vice chair, will serve as interim-chair.

Madigan was first elected to the Democratic Party chairmanship in 1998.

While Madigan has not been charged with any wrongdoing, he has been directly implicated in the Commonwealth Edison scandal.

ComEd agreed to pay $200 million over the summer and admitted that it had provided Madigan’s associates with jobs and contracts to influence Madigan.

“One thing everyone knows about Illinois is that it’s a reliably blue state in the Midwest and throughout the country, and that’s in large part because of the leadership of Mike Madigan,” Yarborough said in a statement. “Democrats across Illinois owe Chairman Madigan a huge debt of gratitude for the support, resources and time he’s dedicated to candidates and races at every level.”