March 17--State Sen. Dan Duffy announced Wednesday that he will be vacating his 26th District seat next month to take a leadership position with Prevent Child Abuse, a Chicago-based group.
"This position at PCAA is a perfect fit for me and a combination of all my past experiences," Duffy said. "It combines my passion for business, politics and public service. It is an outstanding organization and I can not wait to get started."
Just who will succeed him remains unclear. Republican Dan McConchie held a lead of a few percentage points in unofficial tallies over primary opponents Casey Urlacher and Martin McLaughlin as of Wednesday afternoon.
Several McHenry County precincts showed partially reported totals.
Duffy backed McConchie in the race but said he won't play any role in picking a successor.
McConchie did not return calls for comment Wednesday.
"I assume it will be Dan McConchie," Duffy said of a potential replacement. "It now looks like he has won the three way primary and there is no Democrat slated to run in the November General Election for this seat. Dan is who the voters have selected to replace me and he will do a great job for our district. It would make the most sense to have him complete the remaining months I have left on my term."
geoffz@tribpub.com
