Welch skips Illinois State Fair, where Democrats focus on Trump instead of harassment scandal
<p>SPRINGFIELD — Ethics concerns in the Illinois House took a back seat to bashing President Donald Trump on Wednesday for Democrats at the Illinois State Fair, where the super-majority party launched their sprint to November’s general election with familiar critiques of Republicans — and without embattled Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch in attendance.</p><p>Welch sat out Governor’s Day festivities in the capital following Springfield’s latest sexual harassment scandal, which has <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/05/welch-benton-harassment-working-group-cassidy" target="_blank" ><u>raised questions about the speaker’s handling of misconduct allegations</u></a> against disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, who resigned last month in the face of complaints from three women.</p><p>The speaker typically holds court with the media alongside the state’s other top Democratic power players at the fair, where the late-summer scents of fried food and farm animals signal the home stretch of campaign season.</p><p>But after attending a series of Springfield fundraisers Tuesday night, Welch headed home for his daughter’s first day of school, according to a spokesperson.</p><p>That left members of his caucus to field questions about whether Welch should have directed $1.4 million to Benton’s 2024 reelection campaign, when the speaker knew of a complaint well before the one that led to the Plainfield Democrat’s ouster.</p><p>“I think that it has played out, and he did what he can,” Illinois Democratic Party Chair Lisa Hernandez told the Sun-Times.
Reported by 1 outlet — Chicago Sun-Times. See all sources ↓
<p>SPRINGFIELD — Ethics concerns in the Illinois House took a back seat to bashing President Donald Trump on Wednesday for Democrats at the Illinois State Fair, where the super-majority party launched their sprint to November’s general election with familiar critiques of Republicans — and without embattled Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch in attendance.</p><p>Welch sat out Governor’s Day festivities in the capital following Springfield’s latest sexual harassment scandal, which has <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/05/welch-benton-harassment-working-group-cassidy" target="_blank" ><u>raised questions about the speaker’s handling of misconduct allegations</u></a> against disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, who resigned last month in the face of complaints from three women.</p><p>The speaker typically holds court with the media alongside the state’s other top Democratic power players at the fair, where the late-summer scents of fried food and farm animals signal the home stretch of campaign season.</p><p>But after attending a series of Springfield fundraisers Tuesday night, Welch headed home for his daughter’s first day of school, according to a spokesperson.</p><p>That left members of his caucus to field questions about whether Welch should have directed $1.4 million to Benton’s 2024 reelection campaign, when the speaker knew of a complaint well before the one that led to the Plainfield Democrat’s ouster.</p><p>“I think that it has played out, and he did what he can,” Illinois Democratic Party Chair Lisa Hernandez told the Sun-Times. “I just see that he's still doing all he can to put processes in place so this never happens.”</p><p>Hernandez, the influential Cicero representative who serves as deputy majority leader of Welch’s super-majority caucus, called it “a lesson learned, that you must continue, no matter what, every year… looking at your policies in place — that whether you refine them, or do a little extra, we must always be on top of it. So I think the work is being done.”</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item"> <bsp-carousel class="Carousel Enhancement" data-align-center> <a class="AnchorLink" id="gallery-bf0000" name="gallery-bf0000"></a> <div> <div class="Carousel-slides"> <div class="Carousel-slide"> <div class="CarouselSlide" > <div class="CarouselSlide-media"> <picture data-crop="large"> <source type="image/webp" width="840" height="555" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ef19704/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/840x555!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/1c6bf6b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/1680x1110!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg 2x"/> <source width="840" height="555" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d68d84c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg"/> <img class="Image" alt="STATEFAIRDEM_260620-61.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d68d84c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8ccc410/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/1680x1110!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg 2x" width="840" height="555" src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d68d84c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/7008x4630+0+21/resize/840x555!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff3%2F1a0d18ff47338816f4daa4b472c9%2Fstatefairdem-260620-61.jpg"> </picture> </div> <div class="CarouselSlide-info"> <div class="CarouselSlide-infoTitle"><span class="CarouselSlide-infoDescription">People attend a Governor’s Day rally at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Ill.
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- <p>SPRINGFIELD — Ethics concerns in the Illinois House took a back seat to bashing President Donald Trump on Wednesday for Democrats at the Illinois State Fair, where the super-majority party launched their sprint to November’s general election with familiar critiques of Republicans — and without embattled Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch in attendance.</p><p>Welch sat out Governor’s Day festivities in the capital following Springfield’s latest sexual harassment scandal, which has <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/springfield/2026/08/05/welch-benton-harassment-working-group-cassidy" target="_blank" ><u>raised questions about the speaker’s handling of misconduct allegations</u></a> against disgraced ex-state Rep. Harry Benton, who resigned last month in the face of complaints from three women.</p><p>The speaker typically holds court with the media alongside the state’s other top Democratic power players at the fair, where the late-summer scents of fried food and farm animals signal the home stretch of campaign season.</p><p>But after attending a series of Springfield fundraisers Tuesday night, Welch headed home for his daughter’s first day of school, according to a spokesperson.</p><p>That left members of his caucus to field questions about whether Welch should have directed $1.4 million to Benton’s 2024 reelection campaign, when the speaker knew of a complaint well before the one that led to the Plainfield Democrat’s ouster.</p><p>“I think that it has played out, and he did what he can,” Illinois Democratic Party Chair Lisa Hernandez told the Sun-Times.
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- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
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Welch skips Illinois State Fair, where Democrats focus on Trump instead of harassment scandal
Sources1TypeCoverageChicago Sun-Times