Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) was re-elected as the head of the house Wednesday days before Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker’s inauguration.

After a four-year battle with outgoing Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, which resulted in no state budget two years in a row, the Democratic party has almost complete control in Illinois. In addition to Madigan and Pritzker, Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) was also re-elected.

Madigan, the longest-serving House speaker in U.S. history, urged the Democratic party to cooperate and take advantage of having a majority in both houses of Congress and a Democratic governor. In his inaugural address, however, Madigan mentioned that the past four years cannot be ignored.

“Some might say, as we put an end to these last four years, ‘Let’s just close the book,’” Madigan said in his address. “As we do move beyond these last four years, let’s not just talk in terms of closing the book. Rather, let’s think in terms of closing one chapter of the book, (and) take lessons from that chapter so we can move to a new chapter where people work with people.”
Pritzker will be sworn in on Monday in Springfield.

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