Illinois House Majority Leader Robyn Gabel is preparing to circulate petitions for the spring primary ballot as a candidate for Evanston Democratic Committeeperson, according to a source with knowledge of the plan.

A win would give the 72-year-old state representative from Evanston substantial local political power. The current committeeperson, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, is engaged in a hotly contested campaign for Congress next year.

Gabel’s decision to run for the job suggests she may view her time in Springfield winding down, given that the role would give her the power to appoint her own successor should she resign from the Illinois House of Representatives sometime in the coming years.

Politico reported that Gabel was considering a run for the job on Monday.

The committeeperson, elected on the primary ballot during gubernatorial election years, serves as the chief executive of the Democratic Party of Evanston and is “responsible for all political activities of the organization,” according to the organization’s bylaws.

And, under state law, the committeeperson has a role in filling vacancies in local offices, including state representatives and state senate seats.

If Gabel were elected committeeperson and then resigned from her legislative seat, she’d essentially wield the power to appoint her successor in the Illinois General Assembly.

That’s because in Illinois, vacant seats are filled through appointment by the “representative committee of that legislative or representative district” of the political party that last held the seat.

In the case of Gabel’s 18th district seat, Evanston’s vote share is the largest among the townships and Chicago wards whose committeepersons would cast a vote, meaning the Evanston Democratic Committeeperson would carry the majority of votes under Illinois’ appointment laws.

In 2024, Gabel received 40,786 votes in her reelection over Charles Hutchinson, with over 28,000 coming from Evanston, nearing 70%. In total, over 31,500 votes were cast in Evanston in 2024 for the 18th District race, making up over 60% of the total votes cast.

Barring a significant drop in voter turnout in Evanston next year, the Evanston Democratic Committeeperson would hold the majority of votes for future House or Senate appointments.

In February 2024, Biss was appointed to the role by the local party apparatus in a 7-5 closed-door vote, after commiteeperson and Biss ally, Eamon Kelly, stepped aside to focus on his legal career, nominating Biss as his successor in the role.

In February 2010, Gabel won a Democratic primary for the 18th District seat and was appointed that April to serve out the remaining few months of Rep. Julie Hamos’ seat with Hamos stepping down to become director of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

Gabel won reelection to a full term in November 2010 with no Republican challenger.

She’s been the majority leader since January 2023 after Rep. Greg Harris retired.

The 18th District that Gabel represents includes almost all of Evanston, short of the northwest corner that falls in the 17th District. It also includes parts of Wilmette, Kenilworth and Winnetka.

The current deputy commiteeperson of the DPOE is Rachel Ruttenberg, who’s running for state senate in a tight race to replace Sen. Laura Fine, another candidate for Congress. Ruttenberg faces Patrick Hanley of Winnetka in that race and is endorsed by Gabel.

Gabel has not yet announced if she’ll endorse a candidate for Congress, but donated $500 to both Fine and Biss, according to campaign financial disclosures.

Kathy Hayes, another close ally of Biss, is the current president of the DPOE.