Area Democrats react to Durbin's retirement announcement
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin will not seek re-election, he announced in April, saying the decision was not easy.
'I love my job. It's a great job. But there comes a time in your career when the torch must be passed, and I've reached that point,' Durbin said in a video he posted on social media.
Durbin went on to clarify that he will continue serving through the rest of his term, ending in January 2027.
Upon completion of his final term, Durbin, 80, will have been the longest serving popularly-elected senator in Illinois history.
He began his political career in 1982, representing the state in the House of Representatives before winning a senate seat in 1997.
For area Democrats like Amy Buttram, Chair of the Vermilion County Democratic Party, the announcement serves as a reminder to 'build upon his legacy.'
'For over 40 years, Senator Dick Durbin has been a champion for working families and veterans not only in his home state of Illinois but across the nation,' Buttram said. 'His leadership, integrity, and willingness to tackle tough issues will be missed when he retires from Public Service.'
'As we look to the future of Illinois and National politics, the Vermilion County Democratic Party stands ready to protect and build upon his legacy and the future of the Democratic Party leadership,' Buttram added.
In an April 23 press release, fellow Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth spoke of the impact Durbin has had on her career.
'The first time I met Dick Durbin was just 12 weeks after my shootdown — at a point so early in my recovery that I could barely sit up for any length of time, even in my hospital bed,' Duckworth said.
Duckwork previously served as a pilot in the Army National Guard. She lost both legs in 2004 when her Black Hawk helicopter was shot down by a rocket grenade in Iraq.
'But when Dick looked at me, he saw past the wounds, saw past the wheelchair. He saw a Soldier in search of her next mission. And he recognized well before I did that just because I would no longer be flying Black Hawks for the Army didn't mean that I couldn't find a new way to serve my nation,' Duckworth said of Durbin.
She went on to call Durbin a 'leader who embodies what it means to be a true public servant' and a friend and mentor.
'[Durbin is] someone who has never, ever stopped speaking out for those who far too often feel voiceless. Someone who has never, ever stopped fighting to hold the special interests in our country accountable,' Duckworth said. 'Someone who has never, ever stopped caring enough about our nation to do the hard, grueling work necessary to make her a little more fair, a little more just—one day, one bill, one constituent at a time.'
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