Darby Hills
By Russell Lissau | Daily Herald
Hoping to resolve an intraparty legal challenge, a group of suburban Republican leaders on Friday announced they are reopening applications for the vacant 26th Senate District seat.
The maneuver halts Barrington Hills Trustee Darby Hills’ appointment to the post, which was held by Republican Dan McConchie until his Feb. 2 resignation.
Hills and the other three original applicants will be considered for the seat and won’t have to reapply, said Lake County Republican Party Chair Keith Brin, who leads the legislative committee overseeing the appointment process. Any additional applicants will be interviewed privately before a public vote is taken at 1 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 at the Palatine Township Republican Organization headquarters, 765 N. Quentin Road, Palatine.
Read more here.
Related: “26th Legislative District Committee meeting cancelled,” “State Senator seat at any price?,” ”26th Legislative District Committee meeting tomorrow,” “Do Over Scheduled for Meeting to Replace State Senator Dan McConchie,” “Restraining order sought to block 26th Senate appointment amid legal fight,” “Lawsuit challenges legality of GOP appointment to 26th State Senate seat,” “McConchie’s would-be successor isn’t a Republican and can’t serve, lawsuit alleges,” “Darby Hills Appointed as New State Senator for Illinois’ 26th Senate District”
At what point do you stop and realize that the shady, back-and-forth maneuvering you and your counterparts are engaged in is an outright disgrace to the Republican Party? This debacle surrounding Darby Hills’ appointment has done nothing but expose the rot within party leadership, and your actions have made it clear that you are more concerned with playing political games than upholding conservative values and integrity.
Let’s be honest—this entire process has been an embarrassment. You and your colleagues attempted to push Hills through in a sham process that wasn’t even properly advertised to the public. When that predictably blew up in your face, you scrambled to appoint her to a precinct committeeperson role in a township she doesn’t even live in to manufacture legitimacy. And now, after a legal challenge exposed your deception, you’re suddenly reopening applications—not because you want fairness, but because you got caught.
This is the kind of corruption and incompetence that destroys faith in our party. The fact that you and the committee even attempted to install a candidate with no track record, no Republican grassroots involvement, and no credibility while ignoring highly qualified, proven conservative leaders is beyond disgraceful.
Do you even realize what kind of message this sends to Republican voters? It tells us that:
🔹 Loyalty to the party and conservative principles means nothing—only backroom deals matter.
🔹 Genuine Republican candidates with experience will be tossed aside for politically convenient placeholders.
🔹 Public trust and transparency are expendable if it means you and your allies get your way.
How do you expect Republican voters to trust this party, donate to it, or support it at the polls when you operate like this? Why should we believe in your leadership when you blatantly disregard the very principles we stand for?
If you actually care about the future of the Republican Party, you will:
✅ Stop these corrupt, backroom tactics and let the process be transparent.
✅ Support real, qualified Republican candidates who have put in the work and earned the right to represent us.
✅ Hold yourself accountable for the embarrassment you’ve created instead of doubling down on deception.
This is your mess, Keith. The Republican base is watching, and we will not forget who was responsible for this disgraceful display.
Do better or move out of the way for others who will.
Shockingly, there are receipts, Keith. Follow the receipts and this underhanded, backroom plan falls embarrassingly short. This is a black eye to our party and causes public concern for the personal and political integrity of all involved in this quick “appointment” sham. Assume you’re not the smartest guy in the room here, Keith. It’s disgusting.
A little presumptuous, don’t you think: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darby_Hills
Wow!