Dick Durbin, No. 2 Senate Democrat, won’t seek re-election

Sen. Dick Durbin, D- Ill., the Senate Democratic whip and the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, has announced he will not seek re-election in 2026. 

Durbin, 80, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, made the announcement in a video message on X Wednesday.

“The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy,” Durbin said. 

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Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is retiring after 30 years of service. The powerful Judiciary Committee chairman will step down at the end of his term. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.”

Durbin represents Illinois, a solidly Democratic state. His retirement is expected to set off a set off a flurry of activity among a scrum of would-be successors, both Democratic and Republican. However, the GOP has only captured a Senate seat just twice for six-year terms since 1984.

Democrats will face an uphill battle to try to reclaim the Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.

H⁠⁠e was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1982 and served seven terms before succeeding his mentor, Paul Simon, in the Senate in 1996.

Durbin led the drive to ban smoking on airplanes as a junior member of Congress, which helped to usher in the smoke-free movement with legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.

He played a key role in helping to pass the First Step Act in 2018. The bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation was signed by President Trump and reduced mandatory minimums for certain nonviolent drug offenses, created early release incentives and improved prison conditions. 

Durbin is a longtime advocate for immigration reform and co-authored the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Although the act did not pass, Durbin’s advocacy contributed to the establishment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides those immigrants with temporary protection from deportation and work authorization.

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He also advocates for stricter gun laws and supported the Affordable Care Act, also referred to as Obamacare.

Durbin voted to convict Trump in impeachment trials held by the Senate in 2020 and 2021, although Trump was acquitted in both.

Durbin’s career to date in Congress was hailed by fellow Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., speaks during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on, Oct. 14, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool) (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

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“Dick Durbin is, and will always be, a giant of the United States Senate. He has dedicated his life to making our state—as well as our nation—stronger, and we are all better for it,” Duckworth said. 

Duckworth also recalled meeting Durbin for the first time weeks after she lost both legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004, noting his empathy and mentorship during her recovery.

“When Dick looked at me, he saw past the wounds, saw past the wheelchair,” Duckworth said. “He saw a soldier in search of her next mission. And he recognized well before I did that just because I would no longer be flying Black Hawks for the Army didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a new way to serve my nation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.