Illinois Senate Loses Its 5th Most Senior Democrat
Illinois state Sen. Linda Holmes filed paperwork on June 22, 2026 to remove her name from the November ballot, ending a 20-year run representing Aurora’s 42nd District. She cited the physical toll of the May legislative session on her multiple sclerosis, a diagnosis she has lived with for nearly four decades.
Holmes had planned to run, win, and serve a final two-year term before retiring just before turning 70. That plan changed after this spring’s session, which she said left her body unable to sustain the pace of another full campaign and term.
“I’ve had MS for 3[8] years.”
Sen. Linda Holmes, 42nd District, Illinois Senate, June 22, 2026
Holmes holds the title of assistant majority leader, making her the second member of the Illinois Senate Democratic leadership team to announce a departure from state government in recent months. Her exit is not a political calculation, it is a health decision, and she was explicit about that distinction when announcing it.
An Open Seat in a Democratic-Held District
The 42nd District, centered in Aurora in the Chicago suburbs, has been Democratic territory under Holmes for two decades. Her withdrawal opens the seat for a new candidate, selected through a party slating process rather than a primary, since the filing deadline for the March primary has long passed.
Illinois has a well-documented history of candidates staying on the ballot past deadlines and then withdrawing to hand selection power to party committeemen. That is the mechanism now in play in the 42nd District. A small group of Democratic precinct committeemen will choose Holmes’s replacement on the November ballot, not voters in a primary.
The replacement candidate will face voters for the first time in November 2026 with no primary track record and a party-driven nomination, which changes the competitive dynamics of the race.
What you can do now
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Contact the Kane and DuPage County Democratic Party Committees to ask how the 42nd District slating process will work and when it will happen. Find Kane County Democrats at kanedems.org and DuPage Democrats at dupagecountydems.com. The committeeman vote will determine who appears on the November ballot.
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Register to vote or check your registration at Illinois.gov/voting before the October 6, 2026 registration deadline. A new candidate with no primary history makes turnout in November more important.
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Call the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus at (217) 782-5777 and ask who is being considered to fill Holmes’s leadership vacancy. The assistant majority leader position will also need to be filled, and that decision affects the chamber’s legislative agenda through the fall veto session.
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Attend a 42nd District town hall or community meeting before the slating vote. Aurora’s city website at aurora-il.org lists public meetings where candidates may appear. Showing up before a slating decision is made is the most direct way to influence who gets selected.
Sources
Capitol News Illinois: Linda Holmes 20-Year Illinois Senate Democrat Steps Down From Ballot Illinois State Board of Elections: Candidate Filing and Withdrawal Rules Illinois Senate Democrats: Caucus Leadership Structure
[Callout: Second leadership departure.
Holmes is the second Illinois Senate Democratic leader to announce exit in recent months. Capitol News Illinois]