Dick Durbin, Number 2 Senate Democrat, Not Running for Reelection

‘In my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch,’ the senator said in a statement.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) in Washington on April 18, 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the longest-serving U.S. senator in Illinois history, announced on April 23 that he will not run for reelection next year, capping a career of more than four decades in Congress.

“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,” he said in a video posted on social media platform X.