Metro-east lawmaker resigns state Senate seat to take a new job. What happens next?
State Sen. Rachelle Aud Crowe resigned from her seat Wednesday to start her new job as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.
President Joe Biden nominated Crowe, a Democrat from Glen Carbon, to serve as prosecutor for the federal district court that covers roughly the southern third of Illinois. Crowe has been a state senator for the 56th District, which includes portions of Madison, St. Clair and Jersey counties, since 2019.
“My heart is full of gratitude as I submit my resignation,” Crowe said in a prepared statement.
Crowe’s departure from the legislature leaves her seat open in the Nov. 8 General Election.
There is only one other candidate for the 56th District: Erica Conway Harriss, a Republican member of the Madison County Board from Glen Carbon.
There will be no Democratic candidate on the June 28 primary ballot, according to Illinois State Board of Elections spokesperson Matt Dietrich.
The redrawn 56th District only includes parts of Madison and St. Clair counties. Democratic committee leaders in those counties have until July 25 to nominate someone who will appear on the General Election ballot.
Meantime, local Democratic party committee leaders in Madison, Jersey and St. Clair counties have 30 days to appoint someone to serve the rest of Crowe’s term, which ends on Jan. 11, 2023 when the new General Assembly is sworn in, Dietrich said. The person appointed should be a member of the same political party as the person they’re succeeding.
The committee is required to hold a public meeting in the district or virtually to fill the vacancy, according to state law.
Madison County Democratic Chairman Randy Harris said the parties are working on providing details of the process.
“We’re working with (state) Senate Democratic staff,” Harris said. “They’ve obviously done it before and we’re confident in how it’s going to go.”
Harris said Madison County Democrats are thankful for Crowe’s service in the Senate.
“The area is going to miss her voice in Springfield standing up and fighting for the middle class,” Harris said.
Democratic state Senate President Don Harmon praised Crowe.
“Rachelle Crowe is a rising star who has been a strong voice for the people and communities she represented and the issues they care about. She will be a fantastic U.S. attorney, and I look forward to following her successful career,” Harmon said in a prepared statement.
At the Southern District of Illinois court, Crowe replaces U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft, who has served since July 2018.
From 2006 to 2018, Crowe worked as an assistant state’s attorney in Madison County in the Violent Crimes, General Felony and Juvenile Abuse units. She was in private practice from 2000 to 2006. Crowe graduated with a law degree from St. Louis University Law School in 2000.
