Longtime Democratic Sen. Linda Holmes announced in June she wouldn’t be running for reelection in this west suburban district, centered on Aurora and Batavia, due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
That decision came after the primary. Therefore, Democratic Party leaders in the four counties that are part of the district chose Jared Ploger, a teacher and president of the Valley View Council Local 604 of the American Federation of Teachers, to run in her place. Holmes, tellingly, had recommended a more moderate alternative, state Rep. Matt Hanson, but the powers that be chose a far more progressive candidate.
The Republican is Eddie Perez, a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired police officer, whose campaign website says he will be a “strong voice for public safety, children and families and to hold the line of taxes.”
That sounds good in general to us, but try as we might, we weren’t able to get Perez to put more meat on those bones.
Ploger is a particularly poor choice in our view, having been overwhelmingly rejected by Democratic voters in the March primary for Illinois’ 84th House District. He would likely be a rubber stamp for the Chicago Teachers Union’s agenda in Springfield.
But we can’t endorse in this race without knowing more about Perez, who seems less than 100% committed to this race. No endorsement.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here More Top Picks Instant Pot Duo Plus V4