A small group of county party insiders — not voters — will decide who appears on the November ballot as the Democratic nominee for an Aurora-area state Senate seat following the incumbent’s recent announcement that she is retiring due to health complications from multiple sclerosis.

Because state Sen. Linda Holmes’ announcement came months after the March primary, just four county party chairs will select her replacement on the ballot in a largely closed-door process — with Kane County Democratic Chair Mark Guethle alone controlling more than 40% of the vote.

“It’s our least favorite thing to do,” Guethle said. ”We all like primaries; we don’t like to appoint.”

Democratic state Rep. Matt Hanson, who represents half the state Senate district in his current role, said Wednesday he had submitted his name for consideration, as did at least two other local Democrats.

Holmes, a member of Senate leadership who ran unopposed in the primary, cited her MS diagnosis of more than 35 years in her retirement statement. She was the chief sponsor of Illinois’ recently passed medical aid-in-dying law, one of the most contested measures to clear the General Assembly in recent years. Her retirement will take effect at the end of her current term in January.

“Living with Multiple Sclerosis for the past 37 years has shaped my perspective and strengthened my commitment to public service,” she said in the statement on her website. “While I have been fortunate to manage this disease for many years with few symptoms, it is now time for me to slow down and focus on my health.”

The weighted vote is split among the county party chairs of Kane, Kendall, DuPage and Will, putting a lot of sway into just a few largely unknown party insiders who are expected to move quickly.

Applications were opened up to anyone, Guethle said last week, noting he had no favorite and hoped the chairs would be able to reach a consensus.

While it may not end up “like when the white smoke comes out of the chimney” in a papal conclave, the chairs will work together in the process, DuPage Democratic Chair Reid McCollum said. The party chairs for Kendall and Will counties did not respond to requests for comment.

Among those widely believed to be considered are two Democrats already on the November ballot for state representative seats that overlap in the district: Hanson, a political moderate, and Saba Haider, a DuPage County Board member nominated earlier this year to succeed outgoing state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit in the other half.

Haider did not respond to requests for comment, and Hanson declined to comment beyond confirming he had applied.

Jared Ploger, a longtime teacher and former Oswego School District 308 board member who lost to Haider in the March primary, said he submitted his name for consideration.

Ploger is the president of Valley View Council Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents teachers and other school employees, and was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union in the primary.

He said he trusted the county party chairs to do their due diligence in finding the best person for the job.

“I know what I bring to the table,” Ploger said. “If they think that’s a good fit, I’ll go to work. If they don’t, I’m gonna support (whoever) they decide.”

Lauren Duddles, who ran unsuccessfully for St. Charles City Council last year and before that for the board of St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, also said she had applied for the post. In a phone call, she called herself a “die-hard Democrat” but said she was more interested in listening to constituents’ needs than coming in with a political agenda.

Kifowit, who lost the statewide primary for comptroller earlier this year, on Friday said she would not seek the Senate seat.

She recently announced she was taking a new role as executive director of Construction Industry Service Corporation, a labor-management organization, and said she did not want to hold both positions simultaneously.

With the selection process playing out primarily behind closed doors, other candidates could emerge. Individuals and organizations were already making calls about the open seat in the days following Holmes’ announcement, McCollum said.

Democratic state Sen. Karina Villa of nearby West Chicago — a progressive who also lost in the comptroller’s race and was a state representative before being elected a state senator in 2020 — said she believes the district’s voters want someone “bold and progressive.”

“It behooves all of us who represent the areas around us to speak up and make sure that whoever is selected fits all of those qualifications: someone who is a bold leader that has a voice who is able to represent the nature of that community,” Villa said, though she urged an open process and in a phone call early last week declined to advocate for any particular individual. “It’s a strong Democratic district.”

While the process could take a few weeks, Guethle said last week, he doesn’t want to drag it out.

“We want the campaign to continue,” he said. “You can contemplate it to death.”

Whoever the county chairs select will face Aurora Republican Edgardo “Eddie” Perez, an Air Force veteran and former law enforcement officer who founded a martial arts school.

Hanson was sworn in as a state representative in 2023 after defeating four-term Republican Keith Wheeler of Oswego. He also has worked as a locomotive engineer and previously served on the Kane County Board and as a forest preserve commissioner. In late 2023, Hanson was charged with driving under the influence after police found him asleep in his car in the far western suburbs; he received a year of court supervision.

Haider, the nominee for the other half of the district, has not previously served in the General Assembly. She has cited her work helping to build a crisis recovery center with the DuPage County Board and serves in a leadership role on the board’s environmental committee. She also owns a yoga business.

Guethle, who is also the chair of the Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association, said being a county chair is the “loneliest job” in the party.

“Certainly in appointments, not everybody’s going to be happy,” he said.