Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) will not run for a sixth term in the Senate, clearing the way for a younger crop of Democrats to compete for his seat.
Durbin, 80, announced Wednesday that he will retire from the Senate in 2026. The decision had been expected, with the senator raising a paltry $43,000 in the first quarter. But his announcement means that Democrats who were previously mounting a shadow primary can now run openly for one of Illiniois’s two Senate seats.
It also opens the door to a rare leadership shake-up in the Senate, where Durbin has been the Democratic whip for two decades.
ILLINOIS DEMOCRATS WAIT IN THE WINGS FOR DURBIN 2026 ANNOUNCEMENT
“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,” Durbin said in a statement on X. “So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.
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