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So describe just how powerful

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Speaker Vos

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has been in the Legislature.

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Well, he is the

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longest serving Assembly speaker

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in state history

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and that did not come

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without him learning

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how to consolidate power

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within his own party

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within his own caucus

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in the Assembly.

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He had a lot of nicknames

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from both friends and foes.

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Boss Vos.

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The Shadow Governor.

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It was basically known that

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nothing could become law

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without him saying yes

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and signing off

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and allowing it

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to come to the floor

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in the Assembly

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and he controlled

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that chamber

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for quite a long time.

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What does his departure say

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about how real

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the potential

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of November elections

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might be for the partisan

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makeup of the Legislature?

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Well, Democrats certainly see it

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as a positive sign.

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They're definitely proclaiming

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in all of their press releases

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that this is the sign

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Republicans know

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that this is going to

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be a Democratic fall

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and they're going to pick up

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those five seats

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that they need

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to flip the Assembly.

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I wouldn't look as far

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into it as that.

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In his announcement

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he wasn't going

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to seek reelection

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Vos said he had a

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mild heart attack last fall.

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He certainly

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he said he's going to

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continue to campaign.

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He certainly set up a machine

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within the Republican Party

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to win those seats

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even when

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they're facing into headwinds.

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So I wouldn't count that out.

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It's a lot about optics, though.

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Democrats are going to campaign

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and say they've got momentum

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because of this.

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Certainly

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the idea of what

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the Assembly will look like

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in the future without Robin Vos

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no matter who's in charge

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means there's

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a lot of uncertainty

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coming to the chamber

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and to the Capitol.