Dem
47
GOP
53
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the #2 Democrat in the Senate, has been in Congress for 44 years. He is also 80 years old. He knows how things ended for Dianne Feinstein, Strom Thurmond and other elderly senators and wants to leave on his own terms. So yesterday, he announced that he will not run for a sixth term in 2026. If he ran, he would certainly win and be 88 at the end of the term. He said: "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 will fill out the rest of this term, though. He is the fourth Democrat to announce a retirement this year. The others are Gary Peters (MI), Jeanne Shaheen (NH), and Tina Smith (MN).
Illinois is a very blue state and whoever wins the Democratic primary is 99.9% certain to win the general election unless he is caught in bed with one or more live boys, dead girls, and a small herd of goats. Thus, this announcement will start a feeding frenzy among ambitious Illinois Democrats, of whom there are plenty.
At least three Illinois Democratic representatives are known to be very interested in a promotion, namely Raja Krishnamoorthi, Robin Kelly and Lauren Underwood. However, they may be in for a rude surprise. Billionaire Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL) is a strong supporter of Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton (D-IL). While Krishnamoorthi has $19 million in his campaign account, Pritzker could set up a super PAC for Stratton and easily triple or quadruple that. Pritzker understands that if his money gets her elected to the Senate, he will be seen as a major power broker in 2028 and beyond. Given that she already holds statewide office and will be able to outspend all the others combined, she has to be considered the favorite at this point. The one potential candidate who could upset the race is former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has just returned from a stint as ambassador to Japan. (V)