Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election in 2026, ending his decadeslong career in Congress.
The decision from Durbin, who is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate and the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, will open up a leadership position in the chamber and is expected to set off a competitive primary for his seat in solidly blue Illinois.
“The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,” he said in a statement Wednesday and video posted to social media. “So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.”
Durbin, 80, is tied for the fifth-most senior member of the Senate, having been elected in 1996. Prior to that, Durbin represented Illinois in the House for 14 years.
Among his top legislative achievements, Durbin’s office cited his moves to steer 235 federal judges through the Judiciary Committee from 2021-2024 when he served as chairman, a list that includes Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
He also led the charge to ban smoking on airplanes and worked on various criminal justice reforms. Durbin was an original author of the “DREAM Act” to give young people brought to the country illegally a path to citizenship, first introducing it in 2001. It never passed, but it led to the “DACA” program created by executive action in 2012.
His decision to step aside creates a vacancy that Illinois Democrats will likely scramble to fill, with a deep bench of federal and local lawmakers who could be contenders for the seat.
A progressive group, 314 Action, recently released a hypothetical poll testing a possible Democratic primary field that included Reps. Lauren Underwood, Raja Krishnamoorthi and Robin Kelly, as well as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. The group, which supports candidates from science and technology backgrounds, has backed Underwood in the past.
Krishnamoorthi has been stockpiling money for years, stoking speculation about a future bid for higher office. H ended the first fundraising quarter of the year with more than $19 million banked away in his campaign account.
Underwood’s campaign closed the same period with $1.1 million to Kelly’s $2 million. And Stratton has dipped her toes into federal politics recently, launching a federal political action committee earlier this year.
Adding to the uncertainty in Illinois, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker hasn’t confirmed whether he plans to run for re-election next year as he continues to focus heavily on countering President Donald Trump. If he decides to leave the governor’s mansion ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid, that open seat could draw significant interest among Democrats, too.
Durbin’s seat is expected to remain in Democratic hands, even though Trump made gains in the state in November. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris won Illinois by 11 percentage points, with 54% of the vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who once waged a rivalry with Durbin for the conference leader, praised his work.“His deep commitment to justice, his tireless advocacy for Americans in need, and his wisdom in leadership have left an indelible mark on this institution, the United States, and his beloved Illinois,” Schumer said. “The Senate—and the country—are better because of his service.”
Other Senate Democrats offered praise for Durbin’s congressional career on Wednesday.
“For more than four decades, Senator Dick Durbin has been “a pillar of leadership, integrity, and unwavering dedication to the people of his home state of Illinois and the nation,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, a member of the party’s leadership in the chamber, said in a statement.
Durbin is the fourth Senate Democrat who has announced plans to retire ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, along with Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; Gary Peters of New Hampshire; and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
Democrats face an uphill climb to win the Senate majority: in addition to defending those and other seats next year, they would need to flip four GOP-held seats.
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