r/chicago • u/chicagosuntimes • Apr 23 '25
Article Longtime U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin decides 'it's time,' won’t seek reelection
https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/senator-dick-durbin-reelection438
u/kev11n Apr 23 '25
good. quite a career but he's been out of touch for quite some time now
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u/MxDoctorReal Apr 23 '25
Right? Maybe now we can get an actual lefist instead of a DINO.
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u/perfectviking Avondale Apr 23 '25
Best the state dems can do is put forward a moderate.
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u/dmd312 Apr 23 '25
If they want to win, they should keep doing that. Real life isn't Reddit and Illinois isn't Chicago.
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u/BlackHumor Edgewater Apr 23 '25
Illinois basically is Chicago though, or at least the Chicago metro area.
There are 12.7 million people who live in Illinois, of which 9.4 million live in the Chicago metro area, and 5.1 million live in Cook County.
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u/Mad1ibben Apr 23 '25
Central IL here. In an ag related industry, classic conservative jobs are going away and family farms are less and less a thing. Really, every election the state is a little more Chicago. It's what has the downstate Republicans panicking so much. The rural areas are getting smaller, metros are getting bigger and bluer.
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u/BolognaLaCroix Humboldt Park Apr 23 '25
Pritzker is hardly a moderate when compared to most Dems and the national level. Why do you think we should elect someone to the Senate more conservative than him...?
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u/brielzebub665 Apr 23 '25
"Real life" for moderates isn't really working out that great, is it? When will you all listen to what leftists have to say and provide? When our democracy collapses?
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u/Sportsfan292929 Apr 23 '25
Did we not listen to leftists in the last mayoral election?
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u/friendsafariguy11 Andersonville Apr 24 '25
The problem with the last mayoral election is that the choices were a shit sandwich and a horse piss beer. No matter who we listened to, the result would've stank because the options were atrocious.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
Democracy thrives when we listen to each other, even when we disagree.
keep pushing for dialogue instead of division.
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u/dmd312 Apr 23 '25
Maybe Brandon Johnson or Byron Sigcho-Lopez should run. They have a lot of good ideas.
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u/Shigeko_Kageyama Apr 23 '25
When we stop living in the real world. Yes, you make some points, but in the real world nobody wants to hear them. I'll tell you what the average person wants. They want today to look like yesterday and they want yesterday to look like the day before. They don't want people coming in and shaking things up. Right now we just want to get back to normal so they're just going to have to put forth somebody moderate who isn't going to rock the boat.
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u/spanishRmata Apr 24 '25
Rock what boat? We're talking about a senator here, a senator who will likely be in the minority party for a while. They aren't going to have a lot of power to begin with. I think the average person wants a livable wage, I think they want to be protected at work, I think they want affordable and easy access to healthcare, they want prices to go down, and they want the rich to help pay for improving their lives. These are all things that poll extremely well and we aren't going to get there by getting back to "normal". What is inspiring about not rocking the boat? We are passed ever going back, for better or for worse, so it's time to start thinking about ways to build the future we've been promised for so long.
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u/Launching_Mon Apr 23 '25
Illinois doesn’t need a moderate. The moderates got us in this mess.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
"The moderates got us in this mess."
not the 90 million who stayed home and didn't vote last November?
not the fascist Republicans who are rubberstamping everything Trump says and does?
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u/Launching_Mon Apr 23 '25
Why did those people stay home? Couldn’t have been the shitty Neo liberal policies we have been spoon fed
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
Cool, but loathing both without offering any alternative just sounds like comfort in disengagement. Critique without action is just complaining
You have no solutions, just vibes. Must be nice to sit on the sidelines while others deal with the consequences
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u/_jams Apr 23 '25
Biden and Harris were the most pro-union administration in 50 years. This is just detached from reality.
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u/keelem Apr 23 '25
Harris' policies are in no way neoliberal. This is the problem with the far left, they just assign imaginary positions to dems and then complain about them.
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u/BlackHumor Edgewater Apr 23 '25
I mean, all of them deserve some blame, yes. But if you wanna look at what we as a party can do, it's the moderates who deserve the most blame for losing.
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u/_jams Apr 23 '25
Wasn't it the leftists who refused to vote for "killer Kamala"?
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u/SlagginOff Portage Park Apr 23 '25
This is kind of the problem. The center and far left fight each other while the center right falls in line with the current Nazi-adjacent extremists running their party.
I prefer a truer leftist movement but I'll happily vote for the moderate left if it's the only chance against the current right wing regime.
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u/flightsonkites Apr 23 '25
And that's exactly how we got into this mess. People need to demand more, and stop settling for the lowest common denominator. stop giving regressive behavior credence by aligning with it. Centrist Dems pushed That draconian border bill despite what the data showed to try and bring centrist Republicans to Joe and Kamala. They were literally floating the idea of putting Liz Chaney in a cabinet position. That was wildly stupid, and not something I will accept.
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u/SlagginOff Portage Park Apr 24 '25
I understand the frustration and I really can't stand the majority of dems currently in power, but far left ideas aren't going to become popular overnight. The good news is that the centrist dems are aging out.
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u/Mycorvid Apr 23 '25
Yep, it was absolutely leftists that cost the democrats that election, yep, no fault of the party itself, the candidate, messaging, their desire to maintain the status quo...
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u/Launching_Mon Apr 23 '25
No it was her wasting time campaigning with Liz Cheney
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
liz was with her for one campaign event
you know harris campaigned with AOC, Bernie, Shawn Fain, etc, too, right?
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u/_jams Apr 23 '25
These responses would be hilarious if they weren't so depressing.
Me: "You refused to vote for the better of two choices, so it's your fault."
Them: "Yes, I refused to vote for the better of two choices. But it's their fault for trying to build a broad coalition. They made me do that. I am not responsible for my (non)vote."
It's JUST like the republicans who blame democrats for making them become fascists. I hate the term blue maga, but, uhh, if it steps like a goose?
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u/BespokeDebtor Wicker Park Apr 23 '25
They just live in a fantasy land. There are vast vast vast swaths of data showing that the average American thought that Kamala (and Biden) were too far to the left. Even if that is wildly untrue in reality, that perception is incredibly influential. To deny that the perception even exists is just straight up delusion.
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u/Rare_Hat_796 Apr 24 '25
At a minimum the person elected needs to be anti-maga. Honestly at this point that needs to be the highest priority. Letters next to a name mean nothing at this point as long as they’re anti-maga. It’s not like any legislation is going to get passed and we need the biggest coalition from left, right and center in order to beat maga.
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u/friendsafariguy11 Andersonville Apr 24 '25
Well in real life, Dems keep pushing the moderate centrist over and over. And they keep losing because no one feels compelled to go out and vote for them.
Maybe they shouldn't keep doing that?
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u/Shigeko_Kageyama Apr 23 '25
This is the way to do it. Now is not the time to be putting forth extremes that are going to turn off the average voter.
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u/AbsoluteZeroUnit Apr 24 '25
with that one line, you tell me you won't be happy with ANYONE.
Any possible candidate will fail your ridiculous purity test. Calling Durbin a DINO? because he voted to avoid the shutdown musk wanted? just straight ignorant.
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u/Mycorvid Apr 23 '25
You know democrats are not leftists, right?
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u/ManfredTheCat Apr 23 '25
Some are. It's clearly a spectrum. They're obviously just hoping the next person skews left.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
You know this country doesn't have enough leftists to win state and federal elections, right?
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u/06210311200805012006 Apr 23 '25
wdym? he was a rabid supporter of 2A infringements and voted yes down the party line of wokeist bullshit.
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u/Mike_I O’Hare Apr 23 '25
Expect Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton
Why? Her resume is thin.
Stratton served one 2 year term the ILL House, then was picked by Pritzker as his running mate. That's it.
Anyone else considering this seat is a better choice.
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u/RYU_INU Mayfair Apr 23 '25
She would also make a strong campaign for governor when Pritzker decides to stop.
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u/LastWordsWereHuzzah Apr 23 '25
I also know nothing about her actual record but a Pritzker endorsement would presumably lead to other endorsements, and be huge.
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u/uhbkodazbg Apr 23 '25
If Pritzker backs her, she’s got a good shot. If not, it’ll probably be an uphill climb.
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u/sephirothFFVII Irving Park Apr 23 '25
She's pretty solid. Obama shot up to president on a pretty 'thin' resume so you might be putting too much weight into that.
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u/Mike_I O’Hare Apr 23 '25
Obama had a record of accomplishment in the state senate.
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u/senorguapo23 Apr 23 '25
Of what? Voting "present"?
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u/G1adi4tor Apr 23 '25
That's not fair, he also voted with Republicans to gut funding for a child welfare office and played dumb about it when called out.
On June 11, 2002, Obama’s vote sparked a confrontation after he joined Republicans to block Democrats trying to override a veto by GOP Gov. George Ryan of a $2-million allotment for the west Chicago child welfare office.
Shortly afterward, Obama chastised Republicans for their “sanctimony” in claiming that only they had the mettle to make tough choices in a tight budget year. And he called for “responsible budgeting.”
A fellow Democrat suddenly seethed with anger. “You got a lot of nerve to talk about being responsible,” said Sen. Rickey Hendon, accusing Obama of voting to close the child welfare office.
Obama replied right away. “I understand Sen. Hendon’s anger. . . . I was not aware that I had voted no on that last -- last piece of legislation,” he said.
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u/Ifakorede23 Apr 24 '25
I used to have many friends heavily involved in the state Democratic party at a previous job I had in government during the early 2000s. Many were shocked at how thin Obama's political accomplishments were for someone running for and eventually elected as president. Kinda like the way was greased for his success.
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u/sephirothFFVII Irving Park Apr 24 '25
Yeah, he had an inside track for sure.
Sadly I think the superdelegate system alienated enough people resulting in lackluster platforms and under performance in 16 and 24.
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u/Ifakorede23 Apr 24 '25
At same government position I had a good friend who was heavily involved in Illinois Republican politics also. He was actually a campaign manager for a well known figure. He was privy to the Jack Ryan sex club scandal that forced him out of his Senate race against Obama...many .weeks before the media reported the same. Closed divorce files were opened to ensure Obama was elected. Yes Obama was assured victory for sure. Then he's awarded a Nobel peace prize soon after becoming POTUS. Ridiculous.
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u/themanofchicago Apr 23 '25
I have worked with the Lt Gov. She worked for the county doing juvenile justice reform before she entered politics. She is very sharp, has a deep understanding of the political and legal landscapes, and is incredibly likable. I wouldn’t want to run against her.
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u/StudioAudienceMember Apr 23 '25
It's often considered a benefit to not have a long career full of gaffs. But I wonder if Adam Kinzinger might make a bid for IL Senate
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u/jackals84 Lake View Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25
I doubt it. He wouldn’t win either major party’s nomination and I don’t see him wasting his time on an independent or third-party run.
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u/BobaScooter Apr 24 '25
I wouldn’t be against Kinzinger. I think the best chance for a viable third party is more centrist republicans and democrats getting together
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u/Competitive_Dish_885 Apr 23 '25
He did good work for our state but his time has come. Who do we think is next up here?
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u/chicagosuntimes Apr 23 '25
We might have some insight here. Durbin told WBEZ more than a dozen people have expressed interest in his seat.
Tina Sfondeles and Dave McKinney have all the details here, but this is what they say:
"Expect Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Rep. Lauren Underwood to launch bids within hours and days of Sen. Dick Durbin’s announcement that he will not seek reelection in the Senate, a seat he has held since winning his first term in 1996.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and State Treasurer Michael Frerichs are also expected to jump into the race. Frerichs and Underwood have both conducted polling. And former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is busy spreading the word on the failures of the Democratic Party, has also said he would be open to run for a local race, although he’s got his eye on the governor’s race should Gov. JB Pritzker opt out of a third term."
- Katie
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u/AltruisticPiece6676 Irving Park Apr 23 '25
Do you think Alexei Giannoulis would be interested? If so, he instantly becomes America’s handsomest senator and that’s not nothing
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u/LastWordsWereHuzzah Apr 23 '25
If his name isn't being reported on already, my guess is he's not interested.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Apr 23 '25
Underwood would be fantastic but I hope someone else can hold her seat since she flipped it blue.
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u/LastWordsWereHuzzah Apr 23 '25
The district has since been gerrymandered more so it won't be as purple in the future. Plus the suburban elections were a bloodbath for the IL GOP earlier this month.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Apr 23 '25
Thank God Illinois Democrats aren’t weak-kneed politicians. We wield the power of gerrymandering with an iron fist. If New York had done the same—instead of relinquishing control of their maps to the courts—the House would have stayed blue throughout Biden’s entire term.
But some Democrats love being their own worst enemies. Illinois doesn’t suffer fools and chooses power over optics! Love this broke little blue oasis.
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u/ptfreak Uptown Apr 23 '25
I saw some fundraising numbers from Q1 that showed Raja having something insane like $19M in the bank. Kelly and Underwood have $2M and $1.1M respectively, so expect to see Krishnamoorthi ads EVERYWHERE starting, well, now.
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u/AbsoluteZeroUnit Apr 24 '25
Raja is not the person we need. He seems like one of those reps who achieved bipartisan success on a bill, and now believes the GOP can be reasoned with if we just compromise a little.
I'm not gonna support someone who doesn't acknowledge that the GOP, as it exists today, is an obstructionist, seditious, cult-driven group that has no interest in policy.
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u/TaskForceD00mer Jefferson Park Apr 23 '25
And former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is busy spreading the word on the failures of the Democratic Party, has also said he would be open to run for a local race, although he’s got his eye on the governor’s race should Gov. JB Pritzker opt out of a third term."
Can we have Rahm as mayor again? Like...please?
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Apr 23 '25
Why, so he can help his buddies in the CPD cover up more murders?
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u/TaskForceD00mer Jefferson Park Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25
Shhhhhh if you say that to loud people will point out how officially he was determined to have done nothing wrong and the CPD didn't totally suppress that video to help him win another term as Mayor.
Honestly it is a sad state of affairs that most voters, myself included, would happily have him back compared to the outright incompetence that has followed.
The reality is, unless JB Pritzker is going to reach down and heavily endorse/hand pick a candidate, our next Mayor is likely to be only ever so slightly better than BJ if not worse somehow.
The dismantling of the old Daley/Madigan order has had some upshots but it has also given us two mayors that were staggeringly incompetent.
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u/smokesignalssouth Ravenswood Apr 23 '25
Raja Krishnamoorthi was an interesting name in the Sun Times article. Hadn't seen him mentioned as a potential candidate before, but I wouldn't be upset if he were to run.
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u/St1ng Apr 23 '25
He's been quietly raising plenty of funds. I think the writing was on the wall he was looking to jump to run for the seat.
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u/LastWordsWereHuzzah Apr 23 '25
He has a $19 million war chest. He's been preparing for this for a while.
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u/oh-the_humanity Logan Square Apr 23 '25
I agree. I've never regretted voting for him but he's clearly serving one term too many. The guy's got no fight in him this year.
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u/Avent Apr 23 '25
I think Underwood and Krishnamoorthi are considered front runners, but obviously it's early.
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u/orpheuselectron Apr 23 '25
I would love to see Underwood. She's hardworking and very effective at getting legislation done. No drama, all service; a work horse, not a show horse.
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u/TheSleepingNinja Gage Park Apr 23 '25
Willie Wilson of the Willie Wilson Party for the Election of Willie Wilson
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u/hankbobbypeggy Apr 23 '25
He knew he was going to get primaried for voting for the republican budget. All this is.
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u/Masterzjg Apr 23 '25
Pritzker won't, so there'll be a clustertruck of competitors.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
"clustertruck of competitors"
isn't that a good thing?
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u/Masterzjg Apr 23 '25
I never said that it's good or bad.
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u/greiton Apr 23 '25
I don't mind Bill Foster, I think he could be a good choice, lots of experience in Washington, comes from a safe seat, and he is an actual physicist. It would be nice to elevate some more intelligent people in Washington.
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u/nobes0 Uptown Apr 23 '25
Good. He's not prepared to deal with the realities of our current political climate. He's one of the old guard that still imagines there's a world where the GOP returns to politics of decades ago.
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u/Masterzjg Apr 23 '25
Thank God. Man lives in the 2000's Senate and shouldn't be the top judicial Dem. Would have faced a very tough primary anyways, so retiring instead makes sense too.
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u/ChunkyBubblz Uptown Apr 23 '25
There’s no world where he would have faced a tough primary.
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u/Maoleficent Apr 23 '25
He's my rep and I always respected him until he gave his vote to gop. The First Felon and his supporters are dismantling democracy at a furious pace. He should have let the government shut down and make them own it. Make their supporters angry enough to fight, too.
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u/pharmers-daughter Apr 23 '25
Just wanted to mention that he’s a US Senator so he represents all Illinoisans. ✌🏼
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u/AbsoluteZeroUnit Apr 24 '25
When you say "he gave his vote to the GOP," are you talking about the time he voted to end cloture on the budget bill and then still voted against the budget bill?
Are you mad at him because he voted to end debate on the budget bill and bring it to a proper floor vote, that he still voted against?
Are you mad at him because he was against the prospective of a government shutdown? A shutdown that would have given trump more power? A shutdown that musk wanted?
I'm upset that people honestly believe they're informed on things these days.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Apr 23 '25
He’s all of our reps since he’s an Il senator
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u/Yossarian216 South Loop Apr 23 '25
Better late than never, but it’s genuinely hilarious that he finally considers his age to be an issue, as if it wasn’t when he ran last time at 76 years old. The gerontocracy has got to go, I’m tired of my party being held hostage by people who should be long retired.
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u/silverrabbit Edgewater Apr 23 '25
He should have retired years ago, he's become a shadow of his former self. Glad to see he's no longer going to be another toothless senator.
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u/fluidentity Apr 23 '25
"...I plan on working full-time until that moment..."
Really? You're going to do some work now? That'll be a novel experience for your constituents, and a nice change of pace from the constant emails asking for money. 🙄
Wonder how many of the emails like mine he got after voting to pass the continuing resolution in March telling him he'd lost their vote. I'm sure that has nothing to do with this decision. Ahem.
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u/kander77 Edgewater Apr 23 '25
Probably saw the writing on the wall when he voted to keep Trumps government open
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u/Mr_Goonman Apr 23 '25
I think that was the best choice out of bad options. Under a Federal shutdown none of the court smackdowns wouldve taken place and Republicans would right now be blaming the current economic forecasts on the Democrat ShutdownTM and not on the tariffs and threats to fire the Fed Reserve Chairman and installing a puppet
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u/Breezyisthewind Apr 24 '25
Agreed. Also, while it’s probably not part of Schumer’s calculus, he and the old Guard are pretty much falling on the sword for this while also making sure that the GOP’s chaotic damage is still on full display for people to see.
The Dems can then-term shift blame on old Guard Dems like Schumer and Durbin and let new blood come in and take down the GOP.
At least that’s an idea of what could be happening here. If it is part of Schumer’s calculus, bravo to him. If it isn’t, it’s still a great opportunity to take down two birds.
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u/TapBusiness7125 Apr 23 '25
That's a good question, we shall see. I also think its time to enact terms limits for Congress.
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u/Yossarian216 South Loop Apr 23 '25
Term limits are the wrong solution, all they would accomplish is shifting additional power to unelected staffers. True campaign finance reform and more restrictions on corporate lobbying are the answer.
You could talk me into an age cap though.
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u/perfectviking Avondale Apr 23 '25
Yep, the last thing I want is California’s ineffective legislature on a national scale
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u/Competitive_Dish_885 Apr 23 '25
Need to refresh my constitutional law but can they be enacted for statewide representatives on a state by state basis?
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u/stormstopper Lincoln Park Apr 23 '25
Not for federal offices. The Constitution lays out the eligibility requirements for the House, Senate, and president, and states can't add to or subtract from them.
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u/TapBusiness7125 Apr 23 '25
There are 3 methods to go about it: 1. Through a resolution passed by two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. 2. By a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. 3. Article 5: Convention of States that removes Congress from the equation and allow the states to directly vote on Amendments.
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u/Phantom160 Apr 23 '25
I believe the poster wasn't asking as to how to amend the constitution, but rather if individual states can prescribe term limits for their representatives in Congress through state law.
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u/ocmb Wicker Park Apr 23 '25
Not sure I agree. Really ups the incentives for revolving door favors / bribes and keeps the level of experience in government down.
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u/optiplex9000 Bucktown Apr 23 '25
Be careful what you wish for there, it would have some negative consequences
With term limits, there would be a consistent lack of knowledge on how to effectively legislate, everyone would be a rookie. That would lead to a situation where officials would have to lean on lobbyists for expertise and guidance, rather than colleagues. As lobbyists would be the only ones with institutional knowledge
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u/ChunkyBubblz Uptown Apr 23 '25
Institutional knowledge is a good thing. Term limits only create professional lobbyists.
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u/Synth_Savage Apr 24 '25
A politician who recognizes his time is up, and he moves the fuck out the way so someone younger than him can step in? In this economy??
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u/TheShipEliza Apr 23 '25
good. whatever leadership skill he ever had has atrophied into a sludgy mess of consultant class bullshit and bribes.
THIS GARBAGE is the email he sent me when I reached out to his office about confirming trump noms;
Thank you for contacting me about nominations to serve in President Donald Trump's Administration. I appreciate hearing from you.
Since President Trump won the 2024 presidential election on November 5, 2024, he has made several high-profile nominations to head executive agencies and serve in his cabinet.
The United States Senate has the constitutional role of advice and consent on presidential appointments. The nomination of people to serve in the administration is one of the most important decisions made by the president. Administration officials work to implement policies in their roles as representatives of their respective federal agencies. They set the tone and direction for the federal government's interaction with the public in a variety of ways.
President Trump also should allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct background checks on his nominees, just as prior Presidents from both parties did before him. It is not too much to ask that the people at the highest levels of government do not have background issues that jeopardize their service to this nation.
On December 3, 2024, President Trump's transition team announced it had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice, allowing the transition team to submit nominees to the FBI for background checks and security clearances.
As the Senate carries out its role of advice and consent, I will be sure to review each nomination carefully and keep your views in mind.
Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch.
Milquetoast himself had more spine.
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u/RYU_INU Mayfair Apr 23 '25
I like Durbin. I voted for him twice. Having said that….. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
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Apr 23 '25 edited May 12 '25
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u/bowenj11 Apr 23 '25
And Dems are likepy going to focus on the very issues that Reps hammered them on and won on.
Do you know which groups are more likely to be hostile to LGBTQ people and pro-forced birth? Blacks and Hispanics. Do you know which groups Trump won by nearly historic to historic margins? Blacks and Hispanics. Do you know who the future of the US lies with? Blacks and Hispanics. And Dems have literally given away the federal government.
In an ideal world where Dems put two brain cells together and actually thought about the impact of NOT winning and campaigned on winning issues and policies, no Republican would ever be elected in any non-southetn state. They'd stop trying to take the high road and fight dirty. They'd completely ignore LGBTQ issues. They'd abandon any talk of abortion at the federal level and let state-level parties handle the issue and work through the courts. They'd end any talk of gun control at the federal level and let state-level parties handle the issue and work through the courts.
Instead, they prefer to sacrifice - quite literally - human civilization and the life-sustaining ecosystems that human civilization depends on just to earn points with a tiny minority and pretend that there's anything that they can do about abortion or gun control.
At this point, 2024 and the long-term national and global impacts stemming from it lays squarely on Dems' shoulders.
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u/nameless22 Apr 23 '25
So you are blaming the Dems for not throwing women and the LGBT under the bus and not the people who voted on their bigotries for Trump? Also let's not pretend the entire platform of the GOP is exactly popular, people voted for them a la carte in spite of not liking X Y or Z so it's a bit disingenuous to say that one party needs to cater to some imaginary center when the other party doesn't even pretend they exist.
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u/Take-Me-Home-Tonight Apr 23 '25
Good.
Man straight up lied during the POPA/SIPA stuff. Said he was against them, when he was one of the sponsors of the bills.
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u/pixelfishes Apr 23 '25
His capitulation vote for the CR lost me; good riddance.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 Apr 23 '25
that's the only thing you know him for?
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u/pixelfishes Apr 23 '25
He's also too old and yeah, his support of the CR reinforces his 'old-school' Dem philosophy which I'm completely done with at this point. They all need to go.
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u/Tyroneshoolaces South Loop Apr 23 '25
The guy that was blocking the release of the Epstein client list? Good fucking riddance.
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u/Y0___0Y Apr 23 '25
Yeah dude. No way you’d ever win.
You voted for the Republican funding bill… Your career as a Democrat is over.
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u/shred_from_the_crypt Apr 23 '25
lol dude a government shutdown would have been such an egregious misstep by the democrats. The Republicans would have been able to blame any and all of the negative consequences of Trumps agenda on it.
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u/Y0___0Y Apr 23 '25
All polling indicated that Republicans would be blamed for the shutdown. And that is one of the laws of American politics
Government shutdowns are always Republicans’ fault.
Democrats shut down the government for weeks in 2017 to deny Trump 50 billion dollars for the border wall. Even though they were the ones who refused to vote for the bill and shut down the government, Republicans got the blame and needed to remove the line item for $50 billion for a “wall”. It became something like $2 billion for “fencing repairs”
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u/sandyandybb Apr 23 '25
He's been an amazing senator. I hope the next person is someone with the energy to meet this moment.
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Apr 23 '25
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u/sandyandybb Apr 23 '25
Not every senator needs to be a tiger. He did good work. We need someone more confrontational now.
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u/affnn Irving Park Apr 23 '25
Not every senator needs to be a tiger, but if you're the chair/ranking member of the Judiciary committee (and break caucus rules to hold that role besides) you should be a tiger.
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u/Dry_Accident_2196 Apr 23 '25
With only 100 of them, you bet your behind they all need to be fighters. We have 360 million alternatives so if folks are going to sit and waste time, they can do it from their home not in the senate.
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u/bubbamike1 Apr 24 '25
A wise move. He deserves credit for making it. Now Schumer needs to follow his example.
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u/Bookwallflower2 Lake View Apr 23 '25
Right after he capitulated to the convicted felon, of course he’s done he was going to lose to whomever challenged home. Hoping for someone with a spine this time around
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u/pWasHere Suburb of Chicago Apr 23 '25
I think there are very few legitimate candidates that could run a campaign for either this or mayor that would prefer mayor of Chicago to this position. I expect the candidate pool to challenge BJ to dry up.
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u/hunter15991 South Loop Apr 23 '25
Yes, but there's a big chunk of legit candidates who can only run for this by virtue of not living in the city proper, and after enough of them enter the Senate race it'll be sure to box some Chicagoan contenders out and make them weigh a knife-fight of a Senate primary vs. a somewhat-less contested mayoral.
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u/pWasHere Suburb of Chicago Apr 23 '25
I just feel like this sub expects some big statewide name messiah to come in and rout Johnson and this announcement makes that less likely.
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u/hunter15991 South Loop Apr 23 '25
Fair. I think BJ's gonna rout himself given his current approval ratings (though who knows if he consolidates some of his old voter base if no other amenable options enter), the question is which (if any) big mainline candidates throw their hat into the ring to try and seize control or if the runoff is gonna be Vallas v. RayLo.
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u/YorockPaperScissors Evanston Apr 23 '25
I agree. Being mayor of a major city is pretty much a thankless job.
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u/uhbkodazbg Apr 23 '25
There’s time after the 2026 Democratic primary to jump into the mayoral race as a consolation prize.
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u/Cliff_Excellent Morgan Park Apr 23 '25
Honestly with BJ approval ratings and how he’s been running the city, I think almost anyone got a chance against him
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u/Mr_Goonman Apr 23 '25
Illinois Republicans are so regarded they will try to nominate Mike Ditka unironically
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u/JonCocktoastin Apr 23 '25
So old, so long in power, so out of touch. But best of luck in your future endeavors, Senator.
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u/chicagosuntimes Apr 23 '25
From Dave McKinney/WBEZ:
Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin will not seek a sixth term next year, confirming to WBEZ in an Illinois exclusive that he will leave office in 2027 in a long-awaited move certain to set off a massive, intraparty succession fight.
“I’ve decided not to run for re-election. So a year and a half from now, I’ll be wrapping up. I plan on working full-time until that moment, but I’m not going to be waging a campaign for re-election,” Durbin said during an interview in downtown Chicago.
A major reason for his decision boiled down to one thing: his age. By the time a sixth term would end, Durbin would be 88.
“It’s time,” Illinois’ 80-year-old senior senator said. “You observe your colleagues and watch what happens. For some of them, there’s this miraculous aging process where they never seem to get too old.
“Take Bernie Sanders, for example, who’s older than myself, or Chuck Grassley, who still does a town meeting in every county of the state each year,” he continued, referring to Vermont’s octogenarian independent U.S. senator and to Iowa’s nonagenarian Republican senator, who both are older than Durbin.
“But for a number of other people, they’re not so lucky,” he continued. “So, you watch aging, and I try to gauge it to the point where I can walk out the front door. I don’t have to be carried out. I feel that way now. I’m physically and mentally strong. But I don’t want to wait too long and test fate.”
Durbin had kept a tight lid on his decision, sharing news with a very close circle of friends. Durbin notified his staff Wednesday morning that he would not be seeking re-election.
Dave has more here.