Politics & Government

Report: Illinois Speaker Michael Madigan Attends Boehner Fundraiser in Lemont

The event raised about $700,000 for the U.S. Speaker's political warchest, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) attended a private fundraiser for U.S. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) two weeks ago, just one day after Boehner raised money in Hinsdale for the fight against the new, Democrat-drawn congressional map.

The Chicago Sun-Times reports that Madigan "broke bread" with Boehner during a fundraiser for Boehner for Speaker, a committee composed of Friends of John Boehner and the National Republican Congressional Committee.  at the Lemont home of Terry Duffy, executive chairman of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

Madigan's appearance came as a surprise to politicos on both sides of the aisle following Boehner's attendance at a Hinsdale fundraiser Aug. 12 to support the Committee for a Fair and Balanced Map, an organization opposed to the Democratic redistricting map in Illinois. Boehner is reportedly fighting the map so Republicans can maintain their majority in the U.S. House.

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The Committee for a Fair and Balanced Map is a newly established, independent organization made up of Illinois citizens who think the redistricting map passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly provides "a partisan advantage," according to its website.

The committee is listed as one of 17 plaintiffs in a  and eight other individual defendants. U.S. Rep. Judy Bigger (R-13) is listed as one of the plaintiffs.

Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The committee filed a motion for an injunction that would preclude the board of elections from implementing the new district map, which was passed by Springfield lawmakers in May. 

According to the Sun-Times, the Aug. 12 fundraiser raised about $150,000 for the committee.

Madigan's camp said he was invited to the Duffy fundraiser, but did not make a contribution to Boehner.

“We’ve said for more than a year, one of the messages of 2010 is the need for people to cooperate, and that’s what Madigan’s tried to do,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown told the Sun-Times.

According to the report, Duffy's event raised about $700,000 for Boehner's leadership fund.

Lemont Mayor Brian Reaves confirmed during a village board meeting Aug. 15 that he also attended the Boehner fundraiser.


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