* Capitol News Illinois…
Standing on his backyard deck Thursday – the same place where he declared his 1996 candidacy for U.S. Senate – Illinois’ senior Sen. Dick Durbin reflected on his decision to retire after four decades in Congress.
“I’ve done this my way, making decisions based on family needs and personal needs, and what I thought would serve our state well,” Durbin told reporters with a crowd of staff, family and friends listening in the background. […]
Durbin said he doesn’t believe age has ever gotten in the way of his job.
“I had to project forward,” Durbin said. “The campaign’s going to last two years, and then you’re going to serve six years. So are you ready to make an eight-year commitment? That’s the truth and reality of the United States Senate.”
* Journal Courier…
“I didn’t think at this point it was the right thing to do,” [Sen. Durbin] said. “I think it’s the right thing to pass the torch off to another generation.”
“Now we have an opportunity to move forward with the election of a new United States senator,” Durbin said, reiterating the statement from Wednesday’s announcement that the Democratic Party has a “strong bench” of potential candidates.
* WCIA…
Now with an end date in sight, Illinois’ senior senator said he will lobby his Republican colleagues to stand up against Trump’s administration, including his tariffs and trade policy.
“I’m gonna beg them to stand up and fight with us to protect the constitutional authority of the United States Senate,” Durbin added. “We can’t give this away… In an emergency situation, [the Constitution] would delegate [trade] to the president. This president is declaring an emergency that doesn’t exist.”
He also said he isn’t giving up on the DREAM Act. He wants to pass the bill that would protect children and young adults with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival status before he leaves in early 2027. He first introduced the bill in 2001.
* Meanwhile… Tribune…
Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is expected Friday to endorse his running mate, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, for the U.S. Senate, a move that could serve as a politically powerful warning to the rest of an emerging field seeking to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin.
Pritzker’s announcement, scheduled for Friday morning at a church in the Bronzeville neighborhood where Stratton grew up, comes only two days after Durbin made public his decision not to seek a sixth term and just one day after the two-term lieutenant governor formally declared her Senate candidacy.
In prepared remarks shared with the Tribune by sources, Pritzker is expected to describe Stratton as a “tested and steady leader who leads from a place of integrity, pragmatism and dedication” as well as a “passionate and compassionate advocate able to get big things done.”
“At this perilous moment in Washington, Juliana’s fighting spirit and dedication to improving lives is exactly the type of representation Illinoisans need, and I’m proud to endorse her for the United States Senate,” Pritzker’s prepared remarks say.
* Center Square…
Outside his home in Springfield Thursday, Durbin said he isn’t endorsing anyone, but has had conversations.
“I did have a conversation with Juliana and she told me that she was interested but she wasn’t going to run against me and others have done the same and when it came to J.B., I gave him a call before I made the announcement yesterday,” Durbin said from his backyard. […]
Durbin laid out at least one quality he would be looking for in a candidate.
“I think that person who is successful in running for this office is going to understand they’ve got to not only represent the entire state, they have to work the entire state,” Durbin said.
The SJ-R reported Sen. Durbin saying he may endorse a candidate in an “extreme case.”
…Adding… Pritzker’s endorsement video…
…Adding… Capitol News Illinois’ Hannah Meisel is on the ground…
* More…
* Sun-Times | Rep. Darin LaHood considering GOP primary bid for Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat: LaHood is considering and is open to a primary run for the U.S. Senate seat, according to a source with direct knowledge of the congressman’s thinking. The congressman has about $5.8 million cash on hand to help a potential bid, and he’s seen as one of the few Republicans in the state with the ability to raise significant amounts of money.
* Sun-Times | Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton becomes first major Democrat to launch Senate bid to replace Durbin: In an interview, Stratton said she’s “not at all” worried about incoming attacks about the Pritzker administration’s policies. She also tried to differentiate herself from the sitting members of Congress who are expected to announce runs. “I certainly feel like the old playbook that we’ve had in Washington just isn’t working, and I think that people are looking for new voices, new leadership, new energy, quite frankly,” Stratton said. “I think we’re hearing that over and over again.”
