A far southwest suburban legislative race could provide an indicator of just how much Springfield’s latest sexual harassment scandal is impacting Democrats who hold supermajorities in the Illinois General Assembly — and whether Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch has become a political liability for the party.
The race for the 97th District House seat would’ve been hotly contested even if disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, D-Plainfield, hadn’t been forced out amid allegations of misconduct over the summer.
But the battle in a rare purple district on Illinois’ grossly gerrymandered political map was tossed higher into the air over the summer with Benton’s resignation, which raised the broader question of why Welch backed his 2024 reelection despite being aware of a preceding complaint against Benton at the time…