Mike Madigan knew for a very long time that the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI badly wanted to put his head on a spike. It was no secret. Everybody knew it. Madigan was investigated over and over again, but nothing ever came of it.

To many Statehouse types, some of last week’s news out of Washington, D.C. felt eerily familiar.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s longtime law firm partner Vincent "Bud" Getzendanner testified in Madigan’s defense against numerous federal charges last week. One of the main themes of Getzendanner’s testimony was the property tax firm’s process of weeding out clients and potential clients who could pose a conflict of interest to Madigan.

We’re less than nine months from when candidates can begin circulating petitions for the 2026 election, so we’re rapidly approaching the time when major figures will need to decide whether to run or not. Because of that, a lot of people are polling.