Senator won’t seek 6th term
Illinois’ Durbin is chamber’s No. 2 Democrat
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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Wednesday he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending his more than four-
decade career representing Illinois and accelerating a generational shift in Senate Democratic leadership where he has long held the No. 2 position.
Durbin, 80, is in his fifth Senate term and was first elected to the House in 1982. His decision not to run will set off a scramble for his Senate seat in solidly Democratic Illinois and for his leadership position in Washington as many in the party agitate for a new and more aggressive approach to confronting Republican President Donald Trump in his second term.
"The decision of whether to run has not been easy," Durbin said in a video posted to X. "I truly love the job of being a United States senator. But in my heart I know it's time to pass the torch."
Durbin served seven terms in the House before succeeding his mentor, Paul Simon, in the Senate in 1996. Durbin has been the No. 2 Senate Democrat since 2005. From that post, he helped shape the career of an up-and-comer from Illinois, Barack Obama, who was only four years into his first term in the Senate when he was elected president.