Just weeks apart, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky both announced their retirements. Schakowsky has represented Illinois’ 9th District for 26 years. Durbin has served in the Senate for 28 years. Both are 80 years old.
Their decisions leave Illinois in something of a Congressional vacuum.
Durbin’s Four Decades in Washington
Durbin spent 14 years repping Illinois’ 20th District on the North Side of Chicago before Sen. Paul Simon, a longtime friend and mentor, passed him the senatorial torch in 1996.
Durbin handily defeated future Gov. Pat Quinn in that election, and he’s run unopposed in every Democratic primary since. That stronghold has led to Durbin becoming the No. 2-ranking Democrat in the Senate and party whip since 2005.
So far, three Democrats have declared they’re running for Durbin’s seat: Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (2nd District), and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District). With many more expected to join the race — potentially former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel — Durbin said the list of candidates will “grow dramatically.”
“A lot of people contacted me and made it clear they wouldn’t run against me but they were seriously thinking about running for a vacant Senate seat,” Durbin told WBEZ. He also said he plans to refrain from making a Democratic endorsement, though noted that could change.
Schakowsky’s Democratic District
The race for Schakowsky’s seat will likely also get crowded. The Democrat has represented Illinois’ 9th District since 1999. Prior to that, she crushed now-Gov. J.B. Pritzker in what was one of the most expensive Congressional primaries in U.S. history. And, like Durbin, she’s run without much competition since, winning 14 terms.
Schakowsky hails from a unique district, encompassing Chicago neighborhoods like Rogers Park and Uptown, nearby suburbs like Evanston and Skokie, and sections of burbs all the way west to Algonquin. It’s also reliably blue, Democratic since 1949.
Illinois’ far-stretching 9th District. It was redistricted in 2021. (OpenStreetMap via Wikimedia)
This means that urban and suburban Democrats alike are now vying for Schakowsky’s seat. So far, the list includes State Sen. Laura Fine of Glenview, Kat Abughazaleh, a progressive social media commentator who’s new to Chicago, and Chicagoan Justin Ford. Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is also a potential contender.
The Election Timeline
Although U.S. senators and representatives have different term lengths — six and two years, respectively — in this case, things line up.
The general election for their seats will be Nov. 3, 2026. But as Illinoisans know, the real battle is the primary, which takes place March 17, 2026.
Moral of the story: We have many long months ahead hearing about these races. Stay tuned.
