With the resignation of Sen. Ann Gillespie who has been appointed to head the Illinois Department of Insurance, an appointment process has been initiated to find a replacement. To apply for appointment to the 27th State Senate seat, please send a cover letter and resume to [email protected] by 10 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. To be eligible for appointment, the candidate must be a United States citizen, at least 21 years old, and have been a resident of the 27th District for at least two years prior to appointment. According to the Illinois Constitution, because Sen. Gillespie was a Democrat, her replacement must also be a Democrat. The appointee will need to run for the State Senate seat in the November 7th, 2024 General Election.

The appointment will be made by a local committee of the Democratic Committeepeople whose townships are included in the 27th District. The appointment meeting will be open to the public and held at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 11, 2024 at 14 W. Miner St., Arlington Heights, IL 60004. To attend the meeting in person or virtually, please RSVP to [email protected]. The meeting also will be live-streamed for the public on the Wheeling Township Democrats Facebook Page.

The Democratic Committeepeople comprising the 27th District and deciding the replacement are Wheeling Township Democratic Committeeperson Mark Walker, Elk Grove Township Democratic Committeeperson Ted Mason, Palatine Township Democratic Committeeperson Maria Galo, Maine Township Democratic Committeeperson Laura Murphy, and Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeperson Mike Cudzik. All interested candidates will receive the best available contact information for each Committeeperson after submission of their application, so they may contact those committepersons to discuss their candidacy. Committeeperson Galo can be reached at [email protected]. Questions on the appointment process can be sent to [email protected]. Please include your name and address with your question.

Congratulations to State Senator Ann Gillespie of the 27th District, who has been appointed to head the Illinois Department of Insurance by Gov. JB Pritzker. Sen. Gillespie flipped the 27th District during the Blue Wave in 2018, and many of us canvassed and phonebanked to get her elected and then re-elected in 2022. During her term as Senator, she sponsored the bill that created the state-based health insurance marketplace. She has co-sponsored legislation that focuses on protecting health care consumers. Her resignation from her Senate seat leaves a big hole in the Northwest Suburbs. While we will greatly miss her as our State Senator, it's thrilling to see her rise so that her leadership can benefit all Illinoisans.

What a fun parade! The weather was beautiful, the crowd friendlier than ever, and lots of great volunteers, electeds and candidates! THANK YOU to Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, State Representatives Mark Walker and Nabeela Syed, Cook County Commissioner Maggie Trevor, Judicial Candidates Jack Costello, Alon Stein, Frank Andreou, and Mary Sevandal Cohen, and Dist. 211 School Board Trustee Steve Rosenblum for coming out to walk with us, and thank you to the many union members who joined us! It was also the debut of our new GPAD parade banner! Now it is on to final prep for Primary Election Day!