Harry Benton’s resignation may have ended his tenure in the Illinois House, but the controversy surrounding the misconduct investigation continues.

Republican House candidate Jim Geldermann is questioning why prosecutors were not involved, why the Legislative Inspector General’s report was not released sooner and why Democratic lawmakers, including his opponent Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz (D-Glenview), have not called for greater transparency.

Geldermann, who is challenging Gong-Gershowitz in House District 17, said the circumstances surrounding Benton’s July 3 resignation warrant further scrutiny.

“If this thing was so egregious, why hasn't the state's attorney been involved?” Geldermann told North Cook News. 

He also criticized Gong-Gershowitz and other Democratic lawmakers for not publicly calling for the report’s release or greater accountability.

“I've been around these people and nobody said anything,” Geldermann said. “They've not come out with a statement wanting to release."

House District 17 candidate Jim Geldermann. (Northfield Township Republican Organization)

Benton resigned from the Illinois House on July 3 after House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch called for him to step down following a Legislative Inspector General investigation. Benton also withdrew as the Democratic nominee for the 97th House District.

Despite leaving the General Assembly, Benton has remained Wheatland Township highway commissioner, a position he assumed in May 2025.

A June 30 report by Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey, which was released to the public on July 31, found Benton engaged in conduct that “rises to the level of sexual harassment in violation of state law” and concluded he committed two founded acts of sexual harassment while identifying a broader “pattern and practice of inappropriate sexual conduct” dating back to 2023.

McCuskey wrote that Benton’s conduct “began shortly after he took his initial sexual harassment training in early 2023 and has continued throughout his tenure in the General Assembly.”

Although some earlier allegations were outside the statute of limitations, McCuskey said they demonstrated a pattern of behavior and concluded Benton “was not credible during the entirety of our interview.”

The report detailed allegations from a former district office employee who reported a series of interactions with Benton in 2023, including comments about her personal life, appearance and employment. The report states Benton allegedly told the employee, “The reason I ran for office was to get away from my wife,” asked her “to be vulnerable” during her job interview, and later said, “See, I’m doing a good service, I am keeping you off the pole with this job.”

McCuskey wrote that “it doesn't take but a cursory reading” of the employee’s April 2023 email “to see a very early pattern and practice of sexual harassment by Rep. Harry Benton.”

The inspector general substantiated two allegations from a March 2026 complaint.

In one allegation, a district director reported Benton approached her at a Springfield bar after Latino Unity Day festivities, leaned over her, placed “his hand on her back” and made her feel “very uncomfortable” and “creepy.”

The second founded allegation involved a registered lobbyist who told investigators Benton made a sexually explicit comment and asked if she wanted to leave and “have some fun.” Benton denied the allegation, telling investigators, “I don't hit on lobbyists.”

McCuskey rejected that explanation, writing, “I know he lied as well because I have interviewed all three individuals in person and I believe the lobbyist and the bystander are truthful.”

In his conclusion, McCuskey wrote that “State Representative Harry Benton has violated state law by committing two separate acts of sexual harassment” and said Benton “took the sexual harassment training at least three times in his short legislative career and ignored common sense examples of what not to say and do.”

A mid-July Chicago Tribune investigation following Benton's resignation raised questions about Welch’s handling of complaints against Benton after two alleged victims publicly described their experiences for the first time.

According to the Tribune, Welch’s office was notified in 2023 after a 22-year-old staff member reported repeated harassment allegations but did not interview Benton for about three months and imposed no discipline before supporting his 2024 reelection campaign. Welch later directed $1.4 million in campaign funds to Benton’s re-election effort. It was only after a second complaint was filed in February 2026 that Welch removed Benton from committee assignments and the House Democratic caucus, later calling for his resignation following the inspector general’s findings.

The Tribune also reported that the first accuser shared Instagram comments Welch allegedly left on her photos, including heart-eyes and drooling-face emojis, which she said made her uncomfortable.

Geldermann criticized what he described as a broader failure to address allegations involving women.

“Women can't be believed,” Geldermann said. “There is this obvious war on women that the Democrats have been waging for the last 15 or 20 years that goes up and down through society.”

“So I think this is just another indicator of how they don't take women seriously.”

Geldermann also questioned why the identity of the first accuser and details of the investigation remained confidential.

“The whole thing about them saying that they were holding it back because she didn't want to be exposed,” Geldermann said. “And then her story is that's not true. So she wanted it out in the open right away.”

Geldermann said he believes the Democrat lawmakers involved in the matter should answer questions about what they knew.

“I’m sure Gong-Gershowitz and Gable and everybody else knows who it is,” Geldermann said.

Geldermann is challenging Gong-Gershowitz in the Nov. 3 general election for Illinois House District 17, which includes portions of Cook County centered on Evanston and includes parts of Evanston, New Trier, Niles and Northfield townships, as well as Glenview, Golf, Morton Grove, Northbrook, Skokie and Wilmette.