SPRINGFIELD - On the heels of Mike Madigan's decision to skip Tuesday's leaders meeting and double down on blocking any progress in the state legislature, the Illinois Republican Party launched a new website "to highlight how a small group of politicians is allowing Speaker Madigan to hold Illinois back," a press release said.
The website, www.BossMadigan.com is "the next step in building on the Illinois GOP’s successful 2016 strategy of linking legislative candidates to Mike Madigan."
“Illinoisans are fed up with Mike Madigan and the old, failed tactics of the past,” said Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe. “Sadly, Mike Madigan is blinded by his desire for power and appears more committed than ever to driving Illinois into the ground. Now is the time for rank-and-file Democrats to show they care more about the people of Illinois than Mike Madigan.”
The first blog entry focuses on three Democrat state reps to which the ILGOP partially attributes Speaker Madigan's decades-long power - Brandon Phelps, Sam Yingling and Jerry Costello. All three faced stiff GOP challenges in the General Election. The blog challenges all three to defy the Speaker and vote for another Democrat leader other than Madigan in the upcoming legislative session.
Illinois Republicans gained six seats in the state legislature on Election Day. In the days, weeks and months ahead, the press release says, the website will serve as the hub for a multi-media campaign that will hold the politicians responsible for Mike Madigan accountable.