Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, announced on social media on Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, bringing an end to what will mark 30 years in the Senate.
Durbin was first elected in 1996 and has won reelection four times since. He previously spent 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Durbin is currently tied for having the fifth-longest active tenure in the Senate. Only Sens. Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, Patty Murray, and Ron Wyden have been in the Senate longer. McConnell has already announced that he too does not intend to seek reelection in 2026. Grassley, Murray, and Wyden are up for reelection in 2028.
Durbin has been a leader in the Democratic caucus for over two decades, serving as its whip since 2005.
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"The people of Illinois have honored me with this responsibility longer than anyone elected to the Senate in our state's history," he said. "Right now, the challenges facing our country are historic and unprecedented. The threats to our democracy and way of life are very real, and I can assure you I'll do everything in my power to fight for Illinois and the future of our country every day of my remaining time in the Senate."
Durbin recently angered many progressives as he was among 10 Democrats who voted to advance a Republican budget bill, which provided a framework to cut government spending. The bill, however, kept the U.S. government from shutting down.
As the senior senator from Illinois in the build-up to the 2008 election, Durbin was among the first in his caucus to endorse the junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, for president. Durbin's backing as the Senate's No. 2 Democrat gave Obama's candidacy a major boost heading into a competitive primary against then-Sen. Hillary Clinton.
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Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer reacted to Durbin's announcement, saying "thank you for everything."
“Dick Durbin has been more than a colleague—he’s been a trusted partner, one of the most respected voices in the Senate for decades, my dear friend, and, of course, my former roommate," he said.
