WASHINGTON — Sen. Dick Durbin, the Illinois Democrat who is the state’s most powerful advocate in Congress, said Sunday he will decide whether to seek another term early next year.
Durbin, who turned 80 last month, was first elected to the Senate in 1997. Last week, he was reelected to be the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, a vote of confidence from his colleagues. Durbin has held that job, called the “whip,” since 2005.
The biggest political guessing game in Illinois is whether Durbin will seek a sixth term in 2026. Gov. JB Pritzker, who is also up for another term in 2026, is seen as likely to run again even as he considers a bid for president in 2028.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Jake Tapper asked Durbin if he has “decided if you’re going to run for reelection.”
Durbin replied, “I’ll be making an announcement after the first of the year.”
That’s about what Durbin has been saying for months.
But now that day is soon coming.
Durbin, by reaffirming his self-imposed timetable on Sunday, means the many Democrats who are considering running for the rarely open Senate seat — and that’s just about every statewide elected official and about half of the 14-member Illinois Democratic congressional delegation plus, perhaps Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and now U.S. ambassador to Japan — may have to start making plans in a few weeks.
Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is poised to remain the top Democrat on the panel when Republicans take control of the Senate when the new session convenes on Jan. 8.
