Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch will not seek another term as Illinois House Speaker – CBS News

State Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch will not seek another term as Illinois House Speaker, his office confirmed on Thursday evening.In a statement, he wrote, "I have worked tirelessly to serve this House Democratic Caucus. It is one that I love, and deeply respect. I have always told the caucus that our time in this space is finite, but we are playing an infinite game. Diversity is our strength, but unity is our power. Together, we passed historic legislation on transit, cannabis and energy, and secured greater investments in education. We defended vulnerable seats and grew our majority in every election under my leadership, building a historic House Democratic majority. I am proud of this work, but I serve at the pleasure of the caucus, and I want our caucus to lead in unity and take on the mandate we received from voters this past election confidently.

With that, I look forward to joining the caucus as we usher in our next leader and take our party further into the future."Welch was elected speaker in January 2021 after former Speaker Mike Madigan stepped aside when 19 House Democrats announced they would no longer support him after other issues with sexual harassment in the House.But even then, Welch first had to answer his own questions about past treatment of women, including domestic