U.S. Senate · researched profile
Senate Democratic Whip
Richard J. “Dick” Durbin is a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois who entered the Senate in 1997 after seven terms in the U.S. House. His official office describes him as Illinois’ senior senator and the longest-serving popularly elected senator in the state’s history.
Profile updated Aug 16, 2026
Newest first
Richard J. “Dick” Durbin is a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois who entered the Senate in 1997 after seven terms in the U.S. House. His official office describes him as Illinois’ senior senator and the longest-serving popularly elected senator in the state’s history.
Open biography & office record ↓Richard J. “Dick” Durbin is a Democratic U.S. senator from Illinois who entered the Senate in 1997 after seven terms in the U.S. House. His official office describes him as Illinois’ senior senator and the longest-serving popularly elected senator in the state’s history.
Durbin serves as Senate Democratic Whip and as Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the 119th Congress. He chaired Judiciary in the 117th and 118th Congresses and remains involved in judicial nominations, Justice Department oversight, immigration, criminal law and civil-rights issues.
Durbin announced in April 2025 that he would not seek reelection in 2026, so this profile records both his current office and the announced end of his Senate tenure without treating retirement status as a vacancy before his term ends.
Durbin’s office records that he first introduced the DREAM Act in 2001 and has reintroduced it in every Congress since, making immigration relief for qualifying young people a defining long-term legislative project.