McConchie likely to start state Senate term early
Republican Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods is likely to get a head start on both an Illinois Senate term and the next election, a local GOP leader said.
With state Sen. Dan Duffy of Lake Barrington planning to step down at the beginning of April, Republican leaders prefer to replace him with McConchie, who won the primary election Tuesday.
Lake County Republican Chairman Mike Amrozowicz said picking McConchie in this case is a "no-brainer" because voters have already spoken.
"We'll defer to the voters on this," he said.
Amrozowicz has a majority weighted vote in the decision and said McConchie likely will be approved in the coming weeks.
That will give McConchie nearly eight months as a member of the Illinois Senate before the November election.
No Democrat is running in the race yet, but a challenger could be appointed.
McConchie was Duffy's preferred primary candidate, and he declared victory this week a couple of days after the election because McHenry County's ballot counting was slow.
He defeated Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher and Barrington Hills Mayor Martin McLaughlin.