I’ve mentioned before that House Speaker Chris Welch has said since the day he was elected to his chamber’s top job last year that he is fully committed to protecting all of his incumbents, whether in the primary or in the general election. That wasn’t always the case with his predecessor, Michael Madigan.
None of Welch’s candidates have yet faced a voter since he made that pledge in January 2021, but Welch has so far tried to clear the paths for some members facing primary challengers (with varying degrees of success), and he has put together nominating petition drives for incumbents who didn’t do enough (or any) work for themselves.
