Richard J. Durbin
Democrat · IL · U.S. Senate
Bio
Richard Joseph Durbin is an American politician and attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Illinois, a seat he has held since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Durbin is in his fifth Senate term and has served since 2005 as the Senate Democratic Whip and since 2025 as the Senate minority whip. He is the longest-serving Democratic whip since the position was established in 1913.
Full bio on Wikipedia →Overall lean (DW-NOMINATE)
Issue profile
Each issue runs left ↔ right, scored from how the member voted on bills tagged to that issue (−1…+1). Issues with too few votes are blank. Overall lean uses DW-NOMINATE.
Recent notable votes
Latest news
The Party of AOC or AIPAC? In Illinois, Neither Bloc Could DominateThe primaries in deep blue Illinois on Tuesday were a test of who has power and influence in the Democratic Party. In three primaries for open U.S. House seats in the Chicago area and the seat of the retiring Senator Richard Durbin, it was the party’s progres…
The New Republic · March 18, 2026
Immigrant rights advocate Mercy Sister JoAnn Persch, 91, diesSister of Mercy JoAnn Persch, a longtime immigrant rights advocate, died on Nov. 14, 2025, at age 91. / Credit: Kathleen Murphy/CNA Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 19, 2025 / 17:48 pm (CNA). Longtime immigrant rights advocate Sister JoAnn Persch died on Nov. …
Catholicnewsagency.com · November 19, 2025- If You Think Leo’s Defense of Cupich and Durbin is Bad, Wait Until You Hear About Vatican II!
If You Think Leo’s Defense of Cupich and Durbin is Bad, Wait Until You Hear About Vatican II!Many of us would have applauded a statement from Pope Leo to the effect that neither Cupich nor Durbin are actually Catholic, coupled with a firm defense of Catholic …
Freerepublic.com · October 4, 2025 - Pro-Abortion Dick Durbin Deserves Excommunication, Not a Catholic Lifetime Achievement Award
Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) was planning to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich for Durbin's work with immigrants. There was tremendous backlash from some American Catholic bishops and Catholic laity, pointing to Durbin's re…
Freerepublic.com · October 2, 2025
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