PAC launched in response to alleged ComEd bribery scheme
Ex-campaign staffer who sued Madigan operation at helm
An ex-campaign worker who once sued House Speaker Michael Madigan’s political operation has launched a fundraising committee that serves as her attempt to change the climate of Illinois politics after federal prosecutors detailed an alleged Commonwealth Edison bribery scheme that has implicated one of Illinois’ most powerful and longest-tenured politicians.
Alaina Hampton, who last year settled with Madigan’s political committees over allegations of sexual harassment by one of his top lieutenants, launched the Majority Justice Movement PAC this week. The PAC’s stated purpose is “working to elect more ethical and accountable elected officials,” according to the state election board.
And, her fundraising pitch is calling on elected leaders to donate contributions they’ve received from ComEd to her organization.
Hampton said she is digging through state election board filings — reports candidates and elected officials submit regularly accounting for who has donated to their campaigns and how much. On Monday, she’s “going to start calling through to legislators who have taken money from ComEd and asking them to donate that money to this PAC,” Hampton told the Tribune in a Friday phone interview.
Hampton said she wants the money to fund the campaigns of candidates who are not beholden to big companies.
“I decided to start this political action committee because I think residents deserve more honorable and accountable elected officials, and I think what we’ve seen over the past few years is that we don’t have very many, elected officials that are willing to stand up to machine politics here and take a stand and hold people accountable,” said Hampton, who now works for a national Democratic consulting firm.
“I’d like to help elect more morally sound and ethical legislators in general,” Hampton said.
She’s welcoming donations from the public too: “I think it is something residents of Illinois should donate to. Constituents here have the ability to take power back. Elected officials are meant to represent the people and people should be the ones in control.”
The feds on July 17 unveiled their case against ComEd, in which the utility is alleged to have doled out jobs and other favors to those in Madigan’s orbit in exchange for favorable legislation.
Madigan previously has denied being a target of the investigation. A spokeswoman said last week that Madigan “has never made a legislative decision with improper motives” and had engaged in no wrongdoing.
Hampton filed a federal lawsuit in 2018 accusing Madigan’s political operations of retaliation after she reported inappropriate behavior by Kevin Quinn, a veteran aide whom the speaker has ousted.
The settlement last fall was announced shortly after the Tribune reported that Madigan’s longtime confidant Michael McClain, an ex-lobbyist for ComEd, had orchestrated for some current and former ComEd lobbyists to give Quinn contracts after Madigan fired him amid the scandal.
As the Tribune reported then, the more than $30,000 in payments to Quinn and emails about the work are part of a sweeping federal investigation into ComEd lobbying activities.
Documents laying out the federal case against ComEd made clear that the nexus of the federal investigation into the utility and Madigan’s operation is McClain. He’s a close friend and adviser to the speaker, as well as a former lawmaker and Quincy attorney who retired as a high-profile lobbyist for the utility in 2016 but continued collecting six-figure payments from the company.
Asked if she has any aspirations to run for elected office, Hampton said it’s not the goal, but she’s not ruling it out, either.