On Wednesday Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) announced his retirement at the end of his current term and will not seek re‑election in 2026.
The declaration closes the chapter on a political career that began in 1982 and has seen Durbin rise to one of the most powerful positions in the Senate.
Durbin first won elected office at age 37, capturing a U.S. House seat in Illinois’s 20th District in 1982. He served seven two‑year terms in the House, building a reputation as a skilled legislator and party loyalist, before successfully challenging incumbent Republican Senator Al Simpson in the 1996 midterms.
In 2004, he was elected Democratic Whip, the second‑highest leadership post in the Senate, and has held that position ever since. Over his 28 years in the Senate, Durbin became known for his advocacy on immigration reform, civil rights, and consumer protection.
A key architect of the DREAM Act, he pressed for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. He also championed financial safeguards in the wake of the 2008 crisis, helping craft the Dodd‑Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
In Illinois, Durbin secured billions in federal transportation