Didech Bows Out, Potentially 40 Candidates to Replace Link
State Representative Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) will not seek an appointment to former Senator Terry Link’s Lake County Senate seat.
Lake County Democratic Party Chair Lauren Beth Gash told The Illinoize Wednesday night that State Representative Daniel Didech (D-Buffalo Grove) has pulled himself out of the running to replace former State Senator Terry Link, who resigned earlier this month.
The move comes as a surprise in some sense as Didech, a House freshman seeking re-election, is a longtime state senate staffer and lawyer for former Senate President John Cullerton.
Gash would not discuss names of any candidates she has spoken with but says there are potentially 40 “plus” candidates interested in seeking the appointment.
Link, who had served in the Senate since 1992, resigned after being indicted by federal prosecutors on tax fraud charges. He resigned just a few hours past the deadline to hold a special election for the seat, instead Democrats will appoint a replacement who will serve through 2022.
Gash did not lay out a timeline for replacing Link, but lawmakers aren’t expected back in Springfield until after the November election.