Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, won't seek reelection to a sixth term in 2026

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Wednesday that helium volition not question reelection successful 2026, ending his much than four-decade vocation representing Illinois and piling much unit connected the enactment arsenic it already faced a hard way to reclaiming a bulk successful the Senate.

The determination by Durbin, who is successful his 5th Senate term and is the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, volition acceptable disconnected a flurry of enactment among a scrum of would-be successors, some Democratic and Republican. But successful a authorities that has grown much solidly Democratic, the GOP has captured a Senate spot conscionable doubly for six-year presumption since 1984.

Durbin, who’s 80, was archetypal elected to the U.S. House successful 1982 and served 7 presumption earlier succeeding his mentor, Paul Simon, successful the Senate successful 1996. From that post, helium helped signifier the vocation of an up-and-comer, Barack Obama, who was lone 4 years into his archetypal word successful the Senate erstwhile helium was elected president.

Durbin is the ranking subordinate of the Senate Judiciary Committee and sits connected the Appropriations and Agriculture committees. His caucus colleagues person chosen him arsenic Democratic whip, the party’s No. 2 position, biennially since 2005.

He has been consistently wide successful Congress. Govtrack’s 2024 study paper connected Congress lists him arsenic the Senate’s 14th astir wide subordinate — close down Illinois’ inferior senator, Tammy Duckworth.

Among Durbin’s much important legislative achievements, helium is mostly credited with putting successful question the question to prohibition indoor smoking. Having watched his 53-year-old begetter dice of lung crab erstwhile helium was 14, Durbin won support of authorities helium sponsored successful 1987 prohibiting smoking connected abbreviated commercialized flights and expanded it to astir each home flights 2 years later.

“People started asking, ‘If secondhand fume wasn’t harmless connected airplanes — wherefore is it harmless successful nationalist buildings, schools, hospitals oregon restaurants?’ The reply is simple: It’s not,” Durbin said connected the 25th day of the law.

In the aboriginal 2000s, helium introduced the DREAM Act, which would springiness immigrants successful the U.S. illegally who grew up successful the state a pathway toward U.S. citizenship.

It’s ne'er go law, but successful 2010, Durbin and Sen. Richard Lugar, an Indiana Republican, wrote Obama asking him to halt deporting alleged Dreamers. Obama responded with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, oregon DACA, which has covered astir 830,000 immigrants, according to Durbin’s office.

Durbin was instrumental successful reversing a War connected Drugs-era instrumentality that penalized ace cocaine successful a 100-to-1 ratio to pulverization cocaine, a instrumentality that disproportionately deed Black defendants with agelong situation terms. The caller instrumentality was made retroactive, reducing the sentences for those serving clip for crack.

And with Republican and Democratic co-sponsors, Durbin pushed the First Step Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law successful 2018. The transgression justness strategy revamp aimed to marque sentencing laws fairer and supply programs to assistance radical who are incarcerated modulation successful returning to society.

Richard Durbin was calved successful 1944 successful East St. Louis. In 1966, aft graduating from Georgetown University, helium interned for Sen. Paul Douglas, whose spot helium present holds. It was Douglas, who mislaid predetermination to a 4th word successful 1966, who erstwhile mistakenly called him “Dick,” a nickname Durbin adopted.

Durbin earned a instrumentality grade from Georgetown and worked arsenic ineligible counsel for Simon, who was lieutenant politician successful the precocious 1960s and aboriginal 1970s, and past for the Legislature done the 1970s. In 1978, Durbin made an unsuccessful tally for lieutenant governor, aft which helium maintained a backstage ineligible signifier and co-owned a Springfield tavern.

A redrawn district, an economical recession and backing from pro-Israel forces were factors erstwhile successful 1982 Durbin ousted 11-term Republican incumbent congressman Paul Findley, champion known for his disapproval of American argumentation toward Israel and enactment of Palestinians.

In 2000, Democratic statesmanlike nominee Al Gore considered Durbin for the vice presidency, earlier Gore yet chose Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut. But a fewer years later, Durbin influenced different statesmanlike campaigner erstwhile helium served arsenic a sounding committee for and advisor to Obama.

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