Rock Island Today

Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood) is "courageous" in the face of efforts by powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and other members of his own party to end his political aspirations, a conservative candidate for Congress said during a recent interview.

"I would say Mr. Drury is a courageous young man," author Bill Fawell, candidate for the 17th District U.S. House seat, told Rock Island Today. "Why Madigan would go to such lengths to quell Drury? Because the Emperor has no clothes."  

Fawell, author of "New American Revolution: The Constitutional Overthrow of the United States Government," is running on a "take America back" platform for the 17th Congressional District seat of the incumbent U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline).

Illinois State House Rep. Scott Drury (D-Highwood)

Drury has represented the 58th State House District since he was elected to the seat in 2012.  The 58th State House District is located within Lake and Cook counties.

Drury remains on the Democrat primary ballot in his bid to become Illinois' next attorney general, despite a Cook County Circuit Court judge's decision in early February to strike him from the ballot, a ruling Drury appealed. Madigan's election attorney, Michael Kasper, has been hired to force Drury off the ballot.

Drury's political career has endured repeated hits since January 2017 when he failed to fall in line with other Democratic representatives who gave Madigan another term as House speaker. Drury, who cast the lone "present" vote in the speaker election, said at the time that he had no illusions about the repercussions.

"I am confident that my vote represents the view of the vast majority of my constituents. In that respect, the decision was easy," Drury said in a statement he issued the same day as his vote. "Unfortunately, I have learned that what is popular with constituents does not always align with what is popular in Springfield. In the end, I chose the public over politicians."

Madigan now is in his fourth decade as House speaker. "Madigan's hold is based entirely upon perceptions as most all politics and the power of governments are," Fawell said.

"Often those perceptions are illusions, something we find all too common in government on both the state and federal level."

Those illusions certainly have made things tough in reality for Drury. His attempt to seek the Democrat nomination for the governor's race failed and by last fall it was clear he would not be returning to his 58th State House District, where he was being challenged by fellow Democrat and Deerfield attorney Bob Morgan. 

However, 2018 brought better news. In January, when the state's election board voted 5-3 he should appear on the Democrat ballot for attorney general, despite challenges Drury said he faced from "entrenched politicians and special interests" and the "Democratic Party establishment" working against him. Drury also has publicly called out Madigan for trying to end his political aspirations.

Drury also has challenged Madigan to acknowledge his own record. Drury, along with Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton), called on Madigan to step down as speaker for his part in the roiling controversy over sexual harassment in the General Assembly, with Drury referring to Madigan as "the elephant in the room."

"The fact is we can no longer say 'that is just Uncle Mike; that’s how he is,'" Drury said, adding, "We need to wake up people and it is time to call on Speaker Madigan to step down as the speaker of the House because he is not worthy of that position."

Drury's insistence that he won't crawl away from the Democrat Party politics of Springfield harkens to the spirit of 1776, Fawell said. "For Mr. Drury to be so outspoken is the action of a patriot at this level of corruption, a level of action you may find I am willing to match because it is necessary to the survival of the nation," Fawell said.

"What does it say about the level of corruption in Illinois?  It is a match to the level of corruption in Washington, D.C., only in Illinois it is concentrated. In Washington, it is everywhere."