Dick Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, won't seek reelection

AdvertisementDick Durbin, the Senate’s No. 2 Democrat, won't seek reelection in 2026By JOHN O'CONNOR and AAMER MADHANI Associated PressDemocratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said Wednesday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending his more than four-decade career representing Illinois and piling more pressure on the party as it already faced a difficult path to reclaiming a majority in the Senate.The decision by Durbin, who is in his fifth Senate term and is the chamber’s No. 2 Democrat, will set off a flurry of activity among a scrum of would-be successors, both Democratic and Republican. But in a state that has grown more solidly Democratic, the GOP has captured a Senate seat just twice for six-year terms since 1984.Durbin, who’s 80, was first elected to the U.S. House in 1982 and served seven terms before succeeding his mentor, Paul Simon, in the Senate in 1996. From that post, he helped shape the career of an up-and-comer, Barack Obama, who was only four years into his firs...