Sangamon Sun

House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) is using his political muscle to manhandle the AFL-CIO into supporting billionaire J.B. Pritzker in the 2018 gubernatorial race, the Illinois Republican Party said in a press release recently.

“It’s clear that this is an attempt by Mike Madigan to coalesce Chicago machine support behind his preferred candidate, J.B. Pritkzer,” GOP spokesperson Steve Yaffe said, according to the release. “Madigan knows Pritzker is a fellow crooked insider who will raise taxes and support his Chicago agenda.”

The allegations follow a Politico report that the Democrat Pritzker has garnered the votes needed to receive the labor union's endorsement.

House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) | By illinoislawmakers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7C51rHSd6w, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30435112

Yaffe said the endorsement comes after “significant arm-twisting,” and that Pritzker has not had to defend his platform in any debates or been fully vetted, as the Democratic primary is still far away.