Kane County Reporter

Republican state Senate candidate Jeanette Ward doesn’t see how state Rep. Karina Villa can remain silent in the face of all the rising chaos swirling around House Speaker Mike Madigan.

“Karina Villa has accepted over $1.44 million from Speaker Madigan and his morally bankrupt political machine,” said Ward, who is now challenging the veteran lawmaker in the 25th District seat being vacated by Jim Oberweis. “If she wants to stand truthfully and openly before the people of Illinois to ask for their vote, she needs to call on her speaker to resign and donate every red cent of the tainted money that Madigan gave her to a worthy cause.”

With Madigan having emerged as a central figure in a still developing federal corruption probe involving utility giant ComEd and a pay-for-play scheme, Ward is also calling on Villa to denounce the veteran lawmaker over his alleged involvement. Though no charges have been lodged against arguably the state’s most powerful politician, prosecutors have not been shy in asserting that the utility giant sought to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to those directly tied to him in order to curry favor.

A chemical product manager, Ward has made ending Springfield corruption a staple of her campaign platform.

“Our political culture is broken beyond what politicians themselves can ever fix,” she added. “The people of Illinois deserve so much better and I am calling on our elected officials to do what’s right and put term limits and fair maps to a vote. The fact that someone could serve as Speaker for nearly 40 years is a problem.”

Despite all the controversy, Madigan was recently able to raise upward of $550,000 in a one-day fundraiser that many argue speak to how deep the rot now runs in Springfield.