Sen. Durbin announces retirement, capping off more than 4 decades in Congress

Mary Ellen McIntire, CQ-Roll Call on Apr 23, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Whip Richard J. Durbin of Illinois announced Wednesday that he would not seek reelection next year, opening up a safely blue seat that’s likely to spark a competitive Democratic primary.

“The decision of whether to run for reelection has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States senator,” Durbin, 80, said in a video posted to social media. “But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.”

Durbin, who was first elected to the House in 1982 before joining the Senate in 1997, told The New York Times that the decision to retire was not an easy one, given his prime standing as the No. 2 Senate Democrat.

But, he told the newspaper, “I have to be honest about this. There are good people in the wings, good people on the bench ready to serve, and they can fight this fight just as effectively as I can.”

Potential candidates for Dubin’s seat have already been considering their own plans in anticipation of a retirement announcement from the senator. Given Illinois’ heavily blue lean, the winner of the Democratic primary would be strongly favored to succeed Durbin.

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton has reportedly been preparing a run, with support from Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has self-funded his own campaigns and is considered a potential 2028 presidential contender.

Stratton called Durbin “a fierce champion for Illinois,” saying on social media that his leadership would “leave a positive impact on our country for years to come.”

A handful of Chicago-area House Democrats are believed to harbor Senate aspirations as well. Five-term Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi reported raising $3.1 million during the first quarter of the year and had a staggering $19.4 million banked at the end of March, funds he would be able to transfer to a Senate campaign account.

Krishnamoorthi, in a Wednesday statement, praised Durbin’s “exemplary career of public service,” adding that he “will be honored to fight alongside him as we continue to deliver for Illinois.”

Rep. Lauren Underwood, who flipped a seat in 2018 and serves in House Democratic leadership, is another potential candidate, as is Rep. Robin Kelly. Underwood raised $393,000 during the first quarter and had $1.1 million on hand as of March 31. Kelly reported taking in $186,000 during the first quarter and entered April with $2 million on hand.

Durbin told the Chicago Sun-Times that he didn’t expect to endorse a successor, though he left open the possibility.

“I don’t plan to get involved in the Democratic primary if there is one for the United States Senate. Let the voters decide,” he told the newspaper. “But I’m not going to rule out the possibility if something goes in a direction that I think is serious then I need to address it.”

A decadeslong career

Durbin first entered Congress in 1982, representing a Springfield-based House district. He won election to the Senate in 1996, succeeding Democratic Sen. Paul Simon, and has been reelected four times.

He has served as the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat since 2005, making him the longest-serving whip in history. He became chairman of the Judiciary Committee in 2021 and now serves as the ranking member of that panel.

“It is only because of Dick’s empathy, patience, support and mentorship that I am in the United States Senate today. It has been the honor of a lifetime to get to work alongside a leader who embodies what it means to be a true public servant,” fellow Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth said on social media.

Over his more than 40 years in Congress, Durbin has been a visible messenger for Democrats. He has long focused on consumer protection issues, going after the tobacco industry and big banks, as well as, more recently, credit card companies. In recent years, he has also pushed to overhaul ethics for Supreme Court justices.

On some occasions, he has been a leader in the Senate seeking an overhaul to the nation’s immigration laws. He was a member of the so-called Gang of Eight that came close to enacting immigration legislation in 2013. For more than two decades, Durbin has advocated legislation to provide legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, known as the DREAM Act.

The law for which Durbin might be best known is the provision of the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory overhaul that imposed limits on what the issuers of debit cards could charge to merchants accepting the cards.