House Speaker Michael Madigan has been elected to his fifth term as chairman of the Illinois Democratic party.
The Chicago Democrat received near unanimous support from the party's state central committee during a meeting in Springfield on Tuesday. The only committeeman to oppose him was state Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin.
Noland says he "respectfully" voted against Madigan but declined to detail why. He says the two have a difference of opinion and spoke by phone about the issues in recent days.
He says it's "nothing personal" and he plans to honor his commitment to Madigan to not talk about the disagreement.
Noland says "only time will tell" if there are political ramifications for his actions. Madigan has served as House speaker for all but two years since 1983.
