Durbin retirement to immediate shakeup in Senate Democratic management

Washington — Sen. Dick Durbin introduced Wednesday he will not search reelection in 2026, kickstarting a race for his long-held seat representing Illinois — and a broader shakeup of Democratic management within the Senate.

Durbin, 80, has served since 2005 because the Democratic whip, the second-ranking place in Democratic management. First beneath former Democratic chief Harry Reid and now beneath Chuck Schumer, the Illinois Democrat has shepherded the caucus by way of votes, whereas being a outstanding voice on the management crew for 20 years.

After the 2026 elections, the whip place might be up for grabs. And the announcement has spurred whispers a couple of doable successor. 

Sen. Brian Schatz’s identify has been floated as being among the many record of Democrats who may take up the mantle. Schatz has represented Hawaii within the Senate since 2012, and at present serves as chief deputy whip. Schatz celebrated Durbin’s profession in an announcement Wednesday, calling the Illinois Democrat a “mentor and good friend.”  

Different members of the Senate Democratic management may additionally vie for the No. 2 publish. The caucus elevated Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota to the No. 3 place in Senate management within the final inside elections, together with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey to the fourth-ranking publish. Each are doable candidates for the whip function, although they every sought the Democratic nomination for the White Home in 2020, and will have ambitions past the Senate in 2028. The caucus conducts management elections behind closed doorways earlier than the beginning of every new Congress. 

Durbin’s retirement additionally opens up the coveted prime Democratic spot on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the place he is been the highest Democrat since 2021. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat, is extensively anticipated to take his place on the prime of the panel. 

The Illinois Democrat’s announcement of his deliberate departure comes months after the bruising 2024 election, the place Democrats misplaced energy within the White Home and the Senate — main some members of the occasion to name for a brand new technology of management to come back ahead. And a broader shakeup stays doable, particularly as questions on Schumer’s management have continued to swirl, although they’ve died down significantly in current weeks. 

Going through the specter of a authorities shutdown in March, Schumer, who’s led the caucus since 2017, delivered one of many Democratic votes essential to propel a GOP-led funding measure to passage after he had initially pledged to oppose it. The transfer prompted intense frustration amongst his occasion, however Schumer has repeatedly defended his resolution, arguing {that a} shutdown would have been worse than the funding measure for the nation, delivering sole energy to the manager department. 

Democrats had extensively opposed the measure and expressed frustration with its spending reductions, whereas warning that it could give the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity much more latitude to hold out cost-slashing efforts. Some progressives steered {that a} shutdown was a greater different, whereas others merely took problem with Schumer’s altering stance. However ultimately, 9 Democrats and independents additionally voted to advance the measure, together with Schumer’s No. 2, Durbin — and Schatz.

As consideration is now turning to Senate Democratic management, Senate Republicans elected a brand new slate after the 2024 elections, tapping Sen. John Thune to steer the convention after Sen. Mitch McConnell opted to step down after 17 years on the helm.