The Democratic Party chairs of Kane, Kendall, DuPage and Will counties chose an Aurora teachers union leader to replace outgoing Sen. Linda Holmes on the November ballot for the 42^nd Senate District.

Jared Ploger emerged victorious from the crowded field vying to replace Holmes, who announced her plan to resign last week, citing aggravation of her multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

Each of the four chairs had a weighted vote based on the number of constituents they have within the Senate district. The vote was conducted privately and announced via news release late Thursday.

Kane County Chair Mark Guethle told Capitol News Illinois last week that Holmes’ opinion would “carry a lot of weight” for him in the nominating process. Holmes’ preferred candidate was Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Montgomery, a Kane County resident and moderate House member.

Guethle held 41% of the vote, meaning if he backed one candidate, the other three chairs would have had to back the other unanimously to push them across the finish line.

Ultimately, the chairs chose Ploger, who most recently ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for a House seat within Holmes’ district. He lost the primary in March to Saba Haider by a 27-point margin. She’ll face Republican Brian Scopa in November.

“After earning a majority of the votes cast by Democratic Chairs representing voters across the 42nd District, we congratulate Jared on becoming our nominee. Our party is united behind him,” Guethle said in a news release.

The release described Ploger as a longtime teacher, union leader, and former school board member. He’s the president of Valley View Council Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers.

“For me, public service has always been about people including our students, our families, and the workers who keep our communities strong,” he said on his campaign website for his House run. “Every day in the classroom and at the board table, I’ve seen how thoughtful leadership and smart investment can make a real difference in people’s lives.”

The longtime Aurora resident has worked as a high school social studies teacher and served on the Oswego School District 308 Board of Education.

The news release said the paperwork will be filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections to replace Holmes on Monday.

Ploger will face Aurora Republican Edgardo “Eddie” Perez in November. He’s a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired police officer. According to his campaign website, he worked 30 years in law enforcement as an undercover narcotics officer with the FBI, an inspector with an Illinois State Police narcotics task force, a DEA consultant, and a sergeant with the Batavia Police Department.

“As a father, veteran, and lifelong public servant, I’ve seen how high taxes and out-of-touch policies are making it harder for families to get ahead,” Perez said on his campaign website. “I know what it’s like to live paycheck to paycheck, and I’m running to put families first and fight for real relief that makes life more affordable.”

Holmes has served in the Senate since 2007 and will retire Dec. 31. She said she planned to serve another two-year term if elected in November, but her MS flared up amid the busy end of session and her doctors advised her to slow down.

“It was literally my doctors sitting down and saying, after this many years, at your age, the amount of damage that the disease has done is something you can’t just continue to push through,” she said.