Upon news of his retirement Wednesday, Dick Durbin was widely hailed by fellow Democrats for his long service to his home state of Illinois, his years in Senate leadership and his work championing immigrants and other causes.
But for a cadre of younger Democrats, what was most praiseworthy was that Durbin, 80, decided to retire at all.
“I have great admiration for Senator Durbin, for his leadership on human rights and working class issues, and appreciate his wisdom in paving the way for a new generation,” said Rep. Ro Khanna of California, one Democrat who has been vocal in calling for generational change.
As the No. 2 caucus leader and top Democrat on a powerful committee, Durbin is solidifying a generational shift by opting not to seek a sixth term next year. He made that choice just as many in the party have grown more eager — and more vocal — about ushering in younger Democratic leadership.
The conversation about age and seniority has come to the fore following the high-profile effort last year to get then-81-year-old Joe Biden out of the presidential race after a poor debate performance made his decline impossible for Democrats to ignore. Furthermore, the years-long, public decline by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is still fresh in the memories of Senate Democrats, most of whom served with her.
Across the Capitol, five House Democrats aged 65 or over have died in office within the past year, raising further questions about the willingness of some members to continue serving as they age, face serious health issues or both.
Some Democrats pushing for a changing of the guard took Durbin’s announcement — where he acknowledged “in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch” — as vindication.
“Serving in Congress should be representative of our general populace and not exclusively a retirement community,” said Everton Blair, a 33-year-old former Gwinnett County Public Schools school board member who’s mounting a primary challenge to 79-year-old Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.).
Blair pointed to the recent deaths of Reps. Sylvester Turner, 70, and Raul Grijalva, 77, as proof that the party’s eldest elders should follow Durbin’s lead: “We just had two Democratic members die within weeks at a time when every vote counts. It’s a huge concern for Democrats to accomplish our agenda and to be in touch with the issues of today if we don’t proactively broaden our bench.”
Most young Democrats put their sentiments in more gracious terms Wednesday, calling Durbin’s decision a fitting end to a remarkable career.
“Thank you for passing the torch. I hope more elected officials learn from your example,” wrote Kat Abughazaleh, who had previously announced a primary challenge against another veteran Illinois Democrat, Rep. Jan Schakowsky. POLITICO reported Wednesday Schakowsky, 80, is also preparing to retire from office.
Amanda Litman — who leads Run For Something, a group that encourages younger Democrats to seek office — said in an interview that Durbin showed “incredible leadership and, honestly, patriotism” and that she hopes other older members see how their colleagues who “retire with dignity are celebrated.”
“They’re not bad people for having stayed in office — this is not a personal failing,” she said. “It is a sign of deep personal awareness and an understanding that the job is bigger than the person.”
The growing willingness to confront the party’s age issue is melding with calls from the Democratic base for leaders who are willing to mount a more visible and vigorous response to President Donald Trump. DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who came to prominence as a youth activist, caused a stir in the party by saying he’d put $20 million towards candidates willing to wage primaries in safe Democratic districts, and House Democrats faced a quiet mutiny against senior committee leaders at the end of last year.
Many older Democrats seem to be getting the message. Durbin is the fourth Senate Democrat to announce retirement plans at the end of their terms next year; all are above age 65. Not only did Durbin acknowledge it was time to “pass the torch,” but he said in an interview with Chicago’s WBEZ-FM that age was a major factor in his decision.
“You observe your colleagues and watch what happens. For some of them, there’s this miraculous aging process where they never seem to get too old,” he said. “But for a number of other people, they’re not so lucky.”
“I’m physically and mentally strong,” he added. “But I don’t want to wait too long and test fate.”
Durbin’s retirement will also open up key leadership slots in the Senate, where the seniority system tends to collide with a surfeit of ambition to create major leadership bottlenecks. There’s already quiet jockeying underway.
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, who is 52 and serves as Democrats’ chief deputy whip, is viewed as a top contender to succeed Durbin in the No. 2 position. Though Schatz hasn’t tipped his hand publicly about if he will make a play for whip, he’s making calls privately about the race, according to a person who was granted anonymity to disclose the private discussions.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who is 64, currently serves as the No. 3 Senate Democrat, putting her in prime position to move up if she decides to jump in. If either she or Schatz moves up the ranks it would spark a larger leadership shuffle. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is garnering fresh speculation about his own ambitions after garnering days of headlines and praise from within the party for traveling to El Salvador to meet with a wrongly deported man who had lived in his state.
On the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is expected to succeed Durbin as the top Democrat. At 69, the Rhode Islander is not significantly younger, but he is seen as more combative and willing to play hardball with a cadre of aggressive younger Republicans on the panel.
The echoes of a generational change are also playing out in what will be a crowded Democratic primary to succeed Durbin in a state where no Republican has been elected senator since 2010. Some supporters of candidates-in-waiting are leaning into the generational-change narrative as they wait for the race to take shape.
Erik Polyak — managing director of 314 Action Fund, a group allied with 38-year-old Rep. Lauren Underwood — praised Durbin after his announcement but said “voters are ready for the next generation of bold leadership.”