Illinois’ senior Senator just dropped a political bombshell that has Democrats scrambling.
The Democrat Party’s fall into the abyss is accelerating.
And Dick Durbin fired off one shocking announcement that could be the final torpedo that sinks his party for good.
Top Senate Democrat Dick Durbin heads for the exits as Democrats’ 2026 problems grow
Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) dropped a bombshell on Wednesday when he announced he won’t run for re-election in 2026, bringing an end to what will be a three-decade career of pushing leftist policies in the Senate.
Durbin, 80, who currently wields massive influence as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, broke the news in a video message posted to X.
“The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy,” Durbin admitted in his announcement. “I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term.”
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.
So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term. pic.twitter.com/eiBTPjToFT
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) April 23, 2025
The Illinois Senator has been entrenched in Washington since 1982, serving seven terms in the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate in 1996, where he followed in the footsteps of his mentor, Paul Simon.
Democrats are fleeing a sinking ship as Durbin becomes the fourth Senate Democrat retiring in 2026
Durbin is just the latest Democrat to flee the Senate as the party’s national popularity continues to crater under Trump’s second term.
He joins a rapidly growing list of Senate Democrats who have decided not to seek re-election in 2026, including Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Gary Peters of Michigan, and Tina Smith of Minnesota.
The exodus doesn’t stop there. Colorado’s Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, whose term doesn’t expire until 2028, announced last week he’ll run for Governor next year, further depleting the Democrats’ experienced bench in the upper chamber.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and these retirements could seal Democrats’ fate as the minority party for years to come.
While Democrats still consider Illinois a solidly blue state, President Donald Trump made eye-opening gains there in 2024, losing by only 11 points compared to his 17-point defeat in 2020 – a sign that even traditional Democratic strongholds are turning toward Trump’s America First message.
National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Johanna Rodriguez didn’t hold back when pointing to these retirements as evidence of Democrats’ failing policies.
“Senate Democrats continue to jump ship as their party’s brand tanks because they prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the Americans that elected them,” Rodriguez said in a statement.
Durbin’s retirement sets off frantic scramble for his seat
Durbin’s announcement sent shockwaves through Illinois politics and is expected to trigger an all-out war among potential successors from both parties.
Democrats are putting on a brave face despite the loss of their long-serving senator. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee communications director Maeve Coyle tried to downplay concerns about losing the seat, saying, “No Republican has won a Senate seat in Illinois in 15 years, and Democrats will continue to hold this seat in 2026.”
Behind closed doors, Democrats are panicking as they realize Illinois might be in play with the right Republican candidate, especially as several untested Democrats are already jockeying for position.Â
Representatives Robin Kelly, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Lauren Underwood, along with Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and state Senator Robert Peters are all being floated as possible candidates.
Former President Barack Obama, who owes his political career to Durbin’s early support, offered lavish praise for the retiring senator.
“Dick Durbin has always fought the good fight on behalf of working families and his integrity shines through in everything he does,” Obama wrote. “It’s also true that I would not have been a United States Senator – and certainly would not have been President – had it not been for Dick’s support.”
Durbin pushed liberal policies on immigration while occasionally working with Trump
Durbin’s four decades in Congress saw him push an increasingly leftist agenda while occasionally reaching across the aisle when it suited him politically.
As a junior member, he led the drive to ban smoking on airplanes, helping to launch the smoke-free movement with legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
While fiercely opposing President Trump on most issues, Durbin did work with him on the First Step Act in 2018, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that reduced mandatory minimums for certain nonviolent drug offenses.
Immigration reform has been one of Durbin’s most controversial signature issues. He co-authored the DREAM Act, which would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Though the act never passed, Durbin’s advocacy contributed to the creation of the contested DACA program under President Obama.
Throughout his career, Durbin has been a reliable vote for the Left’s agenda, pushing for stricter gun laws and supporting Obamacare. He voted to convict President Trump in both sham impeachment trials in 2020 and 2021.
Senator Tammy Duckworth, Durbin’s fellow Illinois Democrat, shared a personal story about her first meeting with him after she lost both legs when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Iraq in 2004.
“When Dick looked at me, he saw past the wounds, saw past the wheelchair,” Duckworth recalled. “He saw a soldier in search of her next mission. And he recognized well before I did that just because I would no longer be flying Black Hawks for the Army didn’t mean that I couldn’t find a new way to serve my nation.”
With Durbin headed for the exit, Republicans have their best opportunity in decades to flip this Senate seat, potentially building an even stronger Senate majority that could completely shut down any remaining items on the Democrats’ radical agenda.
Political Animal News will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
