Dick Durbin

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Dick Durbin
BornRichard Joseph Durbin
21 11, 1944
BirthplaceEast St. Louis, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPolitician, attorney
TitleUnited States Senator from Illinois
Known forLongest-serving Senate party whip in U.S. history; author of the DREAM Act
EducationGeorgetown University Law Center (J.D.)
Website[https://www.durbin.senate.gov Official site]

Richard Joseph Durbin (born November 21, 1944), known as Dick Durbin, is an American politician and attorney who has served as the senior United States senator from Illinois since January 3, 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin has held the position of Senate Democratic Whip since 2005, making him the longest-serving Senate party whip in United States history.[1] Before his election to the Senate, Durbin served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 20th congressional district from 1983 to 1997. His career in the Senate has been defined by his leadership within the Democratic caucus, his advocacy for immigration reform—most notably through the DREAM Act—and his service as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2021 to 2025. A native of East St. Louis, Illinois, Durbin rose from modest beginnings, working in state government legal positions throughout the 1970s before entering electoral politics. He announced on April 23, 2025, that he would not seek reelection in 2026, bringing to a close a congressional career spanning more than four decades.[2]

Early Life

Richard Joseph Durbin was born on November 21, 1944, in East St. Louis, Illinois, a city located in the Metro East region across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri.[1] East St. Louis, an industrial city that experienced significant economic decline during the latter half of the twentieth century, shaped Durbin's perspective on issues of poverty, labor, and public investment. Durbin's family background was rooted in the working-class communities of the region.[3]

Durbin grew up in an era of significant social and political change in Illinois and the broader United States, and his upbringing in East St. Louis provided formative experiences that would later inform his legislative priorities, particularly around issues of economic opportunity, civil rights, and access to education.

Education

Durbin attended the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C., where he earned his undergraduate degree. He continued his education at the Georgetown University Law Center, earning a Juris Doctor degree.[1] His legal training at Georgetown prepared him for a career that initially focused on public service through the legal profession before transitioning into elected office. The Georgetown School of Foreign Service, known for producing graduates who enter government and diplomacy, provided Durbin with a foundation in international affairs and public policy that would inform his later work on the Senate Judiciary Committee and his engagement with foreign policy issues.

Career

Early Legal and Political Career

After completing his education at Georgetown, Durbin returned to Illinois, where he worked in state legal counsel positions throughout the 1970s.[1] During this period, he gained experience in government operations and public policy at the state level. In 1978, Durbin made his first bid for elected office, running for lieutenant governor of Illinois. The campaign was unsuccessful, but it established Durbin as a figure within Illinois Democratic politics.[1]

Following his unsuccessful run for lieutenant governor, Durbin maintained a private law practice and co-owned a pub in Springfield, Illinois, the state capital.[1] These years outside of government allowed Durbin to build connections within the Springfield community and the broader Illinois political landscape, positioning him for a future run for federal office.

U.S. House of Representatives (1983–1997)

Durbin was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1982, winning the seat representing Illinois's 20th congressional district, which was based in Springfield.[4] The 1982 race drew national attention as part of a broader set of competitive House races during a midterm election year that was unfavorable for the Republican Party under President Ronald Reagan's first term.[5]

Durbin served seven terms in the House, representing the 20th district from January 1983 to January 1997.[1] During his tenure in the House, he built a legislative record that included work on healthcare, consumer protection, and tobacco regulation. His time in the House also allowed him to develop relationships with fellow Democrats that would later prove valuable in his ascent through the Senate leadership ranks.

A 1983 analysis of Illinois congressional politics noted Durbin's emergence as a significant figure in the state's Democratic delegation.[6]

Election to the U.S. Senate (1996)

In 1996, Durbin won election to the United States Senate, succeeding the retiring Paul Simon.[1] The seat had been held by Simon, a fellow Democrat, since 1985. Durbin's victory in the 1996 election began what would become a nearly three-decade tenure in the Senate. He took office on January 3, 1997, and has served alongside several junior senators from Illinois, including, as of 2025, Tammy Duckworth.[1]

Durbin was reelected to the Senate in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020, winning five consecutive Senate elections and establishing himself as one of the most electorally successful politicians in Illinois history.[1]

Senate Democratic Whip

In 2005, Durbin was elected Senate Democratic Whip, the second-highest position in the Democratic leadership in the Senate.[1] He initially served as minority whip from January 2005 to January 2007 under Democratic Leader Harry Reid. Following the 2006 midterm elections, which returned the Democrats to the majority in the Senate, Durbin became majority whip, a position he held from January 2007 to January 2015.[1]

After the 2014 midterm elections shifted control of the Senate to the Republicans, Durbin returned to the minority whip position from January 2015 to January 2021. During this period, the Democratic leadership transitioned from Harry Reid to Chuck Schumer in 2017, and Durbin continued in his whip role under Schumer's leadership.[1]

The 2020 elections and the subsequent January 2021 Georgia Senate runoff elections returned the Democrats to the majority, and Durbin once again served as majority whip from January 2021 to January 2025. Following the 2024 elections, he returned to the minority whip position under Schumer beginning in January 2025.[7]

As of 2024, Durbin is the longest-serving Senate party whip in U.S. history, having held the position continuously since 2005—a span surpassing that of any previous whip since the position was established in 1913.[1] He is also the dean of Illinois's congressional delegation, the longest-serving member among all of the state's representatives and senators in Congress.

Senate Judiciary Committee

Durbin served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from February 2021 to January 2025.[1] In this capacity, he oversaw the confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson's confirmation in April 2022 made her the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, and Durbin's stewardship of the hearings was a defining moment of his chairmanship.

Following the transition to Republican control of the Senate in January 2025, Durbin assumed the role of ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] In this capacity, he has continued to engage with judicial nominations and issues related to the federal judiciary, civil liberties, and immigration law.

Immigration and the DREAM Act

One of Durbin's most prominent legislative efforts has been his advocacy for the DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act), which he first introduced in 2001. The legislation would provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. Durbin has stated that the inspiration for the bill was Tereza Lee, a young woman from Chicago who had been brought to the United States as a child and faced the prospect of deportation despite growing up in the country.[2]

In February 2026, Durbin announced that he would host Tereza Lee as his guest for President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, marking 25 years since the DREAM Act was first introduced.[8] Durbin described Lee as "the person who inspired me to write the Dream Act over two decades ago" and noted that the legislation had become one of the defining causes of his career in the Senate.[2]

Although the DREAM Act has never been enacted into law in its original form, it laid the groundwork for President Barack Obama's 2012 executive action creating the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has provided temporary protection from deportation for hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people.

Civil Liberties and Surveillance Reform

Durbin has been active on issues related to civil liberties and government surveillance. In February 2026, Durbin and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced bipartisan legislation that would place new limits on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes the collection of communications of foreign persons located outside the United States.[9] The legislation sought to provide protections against warrantless searches of Americans' data collected under the program.[10]

This effort represented a continuation of Durbin's long-standing interest in balancing national security concerns with constitutional protections for individual privacy. Durbin served on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, where he engaged with classified intelligence matters and oversight of the intelligence community.[11]

Foreign Policy and Ukraine

Durbin has been involved in foreign policy issues throughout his Senate career. In 2015, he co-founded the Senate Ukraine Caucus alongside Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), reflecting bipartisan concern about the conflict in eastern Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Crimea.[12]

Durbin's engagement with the Middle East peace process has also been a notable aspect of his foreign policy work. A 2015 report detailed Durbin's involvement in Senate dynamics surrounding the Iran nuclear deal, in which he was among the Democratic senators who ultimately supported the agreement negotiated by the Obama administration.[13]

Gun Violence and Public Safety

Durbin has been a vocal advocate for gun control measures during his time in the Senate. Following mass shootings, he has called for legislative action on issues including expanded background checks and restrictions on certain types of firearms. In 2017, Durbin wrote to the Department of Justice regarding gun violence in Chicago, seeking federal resources to address the crisis.[14] Following the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, Durbin was among the senators who renewed calls for gun safety legislation.[15]

Congressional Caucuses

In addition to the Senate Ukraine Caucus, Durbin has been involved with several other congressional caucuses. He has been associated with the Congressional Afterschool Caucus, which promotes afterschool programs for young people,[16] and the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus, which advocates for the modernization of the nation's 9-1-1 emergency communications infrastructure.[17]

Federal Funding and Constituent Services

As a senior senator, Durbin has directed attention toward securing federal funding for projects in Illinois. In February 2026, he visited Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, to announce $3.5 million in federal funding for the expansion of the college's dental hygiene clinic.[18] Such announcements have been a regular feature of Durbin's work representing Illinois, as he has sought to direct federal resources toward education, healthcare, and infrastructure projects across the state.

Controversial Moments

Durbin's career has not been without controversy. In June 2005, he made a statement on the Senate floor comparing the treatment of detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to practices associated with "Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime—Pol Pot or others." The remarks drew significant criticism, and Durbin subsequently apologized on the Senate floor.[19] The episode was cited among the most controversial moments of his career.[20]

Abortion and Judicial Nominations

Durbin's positions on abortion have evolved over the course of his career. During his time in the House of Representatives, he held a more restrictive position on abortion, which shifted to support for abortion rights during his Senate career.[21] His changed position became a subject of discussion during debates over judicial nominations, with critics pointing to his earlier statements and voting record.[22]

Decision Not to Seek Reelection

On April 23, 2025, Durbin announced that he would not seek reelection to the Senate in 2026.[2] The announcement came after nearly three decades of service in the Senate and more than four decades of service in Congress overall. Durbin has continued to serve actively in his remaining term, filing amicus briefs, introducing legislation, and engaging with constituent services in Illinois.[7]

Personal Life

Durbin was born and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois.[3] He has maintained strong ties to the state of Illinois throughout his career, having lived in Springfield during his years as a House member and maintaining a presence in the state during his Senate tenure. During his years in Springfield prior to his election to the House, Durbin co-owned a pub in addition to his law practice.[1]

Durbin has appeared on national media programs throughout his career to discuss legislative matters and political developments. An appearance on CNN in 2000 addressed policy issues of the day during the presidential election cycle.[23]

Recognition

Durbin's status as the longest-serving Senate party whip in United States history has been a central feature of his public profile. His tenure in the whip position, beginning in 2005 and extending through multiple changes in Senate majority control, is without precedent since the position of party whip was established in the Senate in 1913.[1]

His chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2021 to 2025, during which he oversaw the historic confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, has been noted as a significant accomplishment of his later career.[1]

Durbin's role as the author of the DREAM Act has made him one of the most prominent advocates for immigration reform in the Senate. Though the legislation has not been enacted, its influence on subsequent policy—including the DACA program—has been widely noted. The 25th anniversary of the DREAM Act's introduction in 2026 prompted renewed attention to Durbin's legacy on immigration policy.[8]

As the dean of Illinois's congressional delegation, Durbin holds a position of seniority among all of the state's members of Congress, reflecting his long tenure and his role as a senior figure in Illinois politics.[1]

Legacy

Dick Durbin's congressional career, spanning from 1983 to at least 2027, represents one of the longest and most consequential tenures in Illinois political history. His service as the longest-serving Senate party whip in American history places him among the most significant figures in the institutional history of the United States Senate. His role as Democratic whip under two different leaders—Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer—across multiple shifts in Senate control demonstrates the trust placed in him by his colleagues and his ability to navigate the complexities of Senate politics over an extended period.[1]

Durbin's authorship of the DREAM Act, first introduced in 2001, has been one of the defining legislative efforts of his career. Although the bill has not been passed into law, it catalyzed a national conversation about the status of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and helped lay the policy groundwork for the DACA program. Durbin's decision to bring Tereza Lee—the woman who inspired the legislation—as his guest to the 2026 State of the Union address underscored the personal dimension of his advocacy on this issue.[8][2]

His bipartisan work on issues ranging from surveillance reform with Senator Mike Lee to the founding of the Senate Ukraine Caucus with Senator Rob Portman illustrates a willingness to work across party lines on specific policy matters, even as he served in a partisan leadership role.[10][12]

As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Durbin's leadership during the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court marked a historic moment in the committee's work and in the broader history of the federal judiciary.

His announcement in 2025 that he would not seek reelection opened a new chapter in Illinois politics, as the state prepared for its first open Senate seat in nearly three decades.

References

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 "Senator Dick Durbin".Vote Smart.http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=26847.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Durbin to bring original 'Dreamer' to Trump's State of the Union speech, as several Illinois Dems boycott it".Chicago Sun-Times.2026-02-23.https://chicago.suntimes.com/donald-trump/2026/02/23/dick-durbin-original-dreamer-guest-president-donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-speech-illinois-democrats-boycott.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Senator Dick Durbin".Rootsweb Genealogy.http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/durbin.htm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  4. ↑ "The 1982 Elections: The Illinois 20th District Race".The Washington Post.1982-10-31.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/10/31/the-1982-elections-the-illinois-20th-district-race/76e5660e-4e40-4615-88b0-f012ad57000a/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ "The Midwest".The New York Times.1982-09-05.https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/05/us/the-midwest.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Illinois Issues, 1983".Northern Illinois University Libraries.1983.http://www.lib.niu.edu/1983/ii830218.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Durbin Files Amicus Brief In Support Of The U.S. District Court For The District Of North Dakota's Ruling In Corner Post, Inc. V. Board Of Governors Of The Federal Reserve System".Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.2026-02-23.https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-files-amicus-brief-in-support-of-the-us-district-court-for-the-district-of-north-dakotas-ruling-in-corner-post-inc-v-board-of-governors-of-the-federal-reserve-system.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Durbin Announces Tereza Lee, His Inspiration For The Dream Act, As His Guest For President Trump's State Of The Union Address".Office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.2026-02-23.https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-announces-tereza-lee-his-inspiration-for-the-dream-act-as-his-guest-for-president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  9. ↑ "Senators move to rein in foreign surveillance power".Politico.2026-02-23.https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/02/23/congress/senators-move-to-rein-in-foreign-surveillance-power-00793924.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Lee, Durbin Introduce Bipartisan Protections Against Warrantless Data Searches".Office of U.S. Senator Mike Lee.2026-02-22.https://www.lee.senate.gov/2026/2/lee-durbin-introduce-bipartisan-protections-against-warrantless-data-searches.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. ↑ "Report of the Select Committee on Intelligence".U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.https://web.archive.org/web/20060830192616/http://intelligence.senate.gov/108301.pdf.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Portman and Durbin Launch Senate Ukraine Caucus".Office of U.S. Senator Rob Portman.2015-02.http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2015/2/portman-and-durbin-launch-senate-ukraine-caucus.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "How Obama Out-Muscled AIPAC".Bloomberg News.2015-09-17.https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-17/how-obama-out-muscled-aipac.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  14. ↑ "Durbin Letter to DOJ on Gun Violence".Chicagoist.2017-05-22.https://web.archive.org/web/20171104153008/http://chicagoist.com/2017/05/22/durbin_letter_to_doj_gun_violence.php.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  15. ↑ "Las Vegas Politics".Chicago Tribune.2017-10-03.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-las-vegas-politics-20171003-story.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  16. ↑ "Congressional Caucuses".Afterschool Alliance.http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/policyCongressionalCaucuses.cfm.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  17. ↑ "About the Congressional NextGen 9-1-1 Caucus".NG911 Institute.http://www.ng911institute.org/about-the-congressional-nextgen-9-1-1-caucus.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. ↑ "U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin visits Parkland College to announce $3.5 million for dental hygiene clinic".IPM Newsroom.2026-02-19.https://ipmnewsroom.org/u-s-sen-dick-durbin-visits-parkland-college-to-announce-3-5-million-for-dental-hygiene-clinic/.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ "US senator sorry for Guantanamo remarks".Al Jazeera.2005-06.https://www.aljazeera.com/archive/2005/06/200849163247687494.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Dick Durbin: Most controversial moments".Chicago Tribune.2017.http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chicagoinc/ct-dick-durbin-most-controversial-moments-chicago-inc-2017-htmlstory.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "Senator Durbin on Abortion".National Right to Life Committee.https://web.archive.org/web/20060913222115/http://www.nrlc.org/Judicial/Durbin/index.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  22. ↑ "Durbin on Meet the Press".National Right to Life Committee.https://web.archive.org/web/20060914032545/http://www.nrlc.org/Judicial/Durbin/DurbinMeetPress.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  23. ↑ "CNN Inside Politics Transcript".CNN.2000-08-08.http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0008/08/ip.00.html.Retrieved 2026-02-24.

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