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Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.)

U.S. Senator (since January 1997)

(Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Why He Matters

"Dick" Durbin is the second most powerful Senate Democrat, but he could easily be described as his party's unofficial spokesman.

The majority whip sells the party's agenda on cable news shows and on the Senate floor. An incisive questioner and skilled debater, Durbin has won several high-profile legislative victories.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: U.S. Senator (since 1997); Democratic Minority Whip (2004); U.S. Representative (1982 to 1996)
Birthday: November 21, 1944
Hometown: East St. Louis, Ill.
Alma Mater: Georgetown, B.A., 1966; Georgetown, J.D., 1969
Spouse: Loretta
Religion: Catholic
DC Office: 309 Hart Senate Bldg., 202-224-2152

State Office: Chicago, 312-353-4952; Springfield, 217-492-4062; Marion, 618-998-8812
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Path to Power

Durbin has spent most of his life around politics. The youngest of three boys, he grew up in East St. Louis, where his father worked as a railroad switch operator.

Durbin attended Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. His senior year, he interned for former Sen. Paul Douglas (D-Ill.), who became his mentor. He continued working on the Hill while attending Georgetown Law School.

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Durbin served as a staffer for several elected officials, including ex-Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.), before throwing his own hat into the political ring. His first two attempts at election ended badly; he lost a race for the Illinois Senate and another for the state's lieutenant governor.

In 1982, he finally won a seat in the House, thanks in part to money from pro-Israel donors, who opposed Rep Paul Findley (R-Ill.), a staunch critic of U.S.-Israel policy. In the House, Durbin served on the House Agriculture Committee and chaired the Agriculture Appropriations subcommittee. His biggest legislative victory in the House was a 1988 ban on smoking on domestic airline flights. The bill led to similar regulations in restaurants and bars across the country.

Durbin was elected to the Senate in 1996, filling the seat of his old mentor Douglas. He beat trial lawyer and abortion opponent Al Salvi (R) with 56 percent of the vote.

Once elected, Durbin caught the attention of fellow Democrats, who praised his articulate rhetorical style. Under former Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), he was appointed to the role of assistant Democratic floor leader and led a weekly meeting to set the leadership agenda. He could often be seen defending Democrats' point of view on the floor or on cable channels.

Durbin was briefly considered for vice president in 2000. But when former Senator Al Gore's (D-Tenn.) team called to ask him to submit paperwork, he ignored the request, saying he wasn't interested in being a public yes man.

Senate Leadership

In 2004, Durbin was elected minority whip. Democrats credit him with crafting an agenda for the 110th Congress, though critics have accused him of being "too strident" in his role.

In 2006, Time magazine labeled him the best Senate saying that Durbin's "tough questioning of his colleagues and his willingness to defend his own proposals clarify and distill complicated issues for the C-SPAN-viewing public."

His impassioned speeches have occasionally gotten him in trouble. In 2005, he delivered a heated attack of the Bush administration's detainee policies, likening the American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay to Nazis. Conservative legislators and commentators pounced on his remarks, calling them unpatriotic. Durbin eventually delivered a tearful apology on the Senate floor, calling his words inappropriate.

His 2008 Republican challenger, Steve Sauerberg, cited this incident as evidence that Durbin was disloyal and fiercely partisan. But despite the attacks, Durbin sailed easily to victory.

Durbin faced an early challenge in the 111th term when impeached Ill Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) named Roland Burris to the Senate. Durbin and other Democratic leaders were initially reluctant to seat any Blagojevich appointee because of the charges levied against Blagojevich - U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald charged him with trying to auction off Obama's Senate seat for campaign money or a plum assignment. However, with pressure mounting from the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, and other Senators, Durbin and others agreed to sit Burris as long as he testified in Blagojevich's impeachment hearings.

The Issues

Durbin is an active legislator who has been involved in a wide range of issues from ending the genocide in Darfur to adding extra protections for toy consumers. Considered one of the most aggressive and progressive legislators, Durbin has led the Democrats to forcefully oppose many of the Bush administration's conservative policies.

Durbin has one of the most liberal voting records in the Senate, according to National Journal. He voted with his party 97.5 percent of the time. He has occasionally broken with his party, supporting Republican-sponsored welfare reform even though his advisers warned that it would push children into poverty.

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Durbin is one of the staunchest anti-tobacco legislators on the Hill. His 1994 ban on smoking in domestic airline flights has resulted in similar bans across the country in restaurants, bars and college campuses. Durbin has also tried to limit tobacco subsidies, and pushed legislation that would force the Federal Drug Administration to regulate tobacco as a health hazard.

Durbin has used his clout to support ethanol development as an alternative fuel, which is a major industry in Illinois. In particular, he has pushed for tax incentives and research plants for ethanol producers. He also supports farm disaster aid.

The Economy

Durbin worked with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) to help pass on Feb. 13, 2009, Obama's first major legislative victory, the $800 billion economic stimulus package. Senate leaders were forced to pare back the bill in order to win Republican votes.

Durbin also aggressively advocated the $700 billion bailout Congress passed in fall 2008, encouraging his Democratic colleagues to support the controversial package. Conceding that the measure wasn't ideal, he warned that a vote against it would lead to an economic meltdown.

Durbin pushed hard for a provision that would let bankruptcy judges rewrite the terms of mortgages for homeowners when the mortgage cost exceeded the house value. Republicans detested the measure and that language did not make it into the final bill.

Judicial Appointments

Durbin was a key roadblock in the arduous confirmation process facing Bush's judicial appointees to both federal circuit courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

He threatened filibusters of some of the more conservative circuit court nominations, and many have credited his detailed and incisive questioning during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for obstructing Bush appointees.

In one instance, Durbin asked Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen, who was then a candidate for the U.S. Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit, if she could name one opinion that was "politically unpopular with the established power structure." Owen couldn't, and her evasiveness convinced Democrats to filibuster her appointment. Owens' confirmation battle lasted four long years until a bipartisan group of lawmakers known as the 'Gang of 14' brokered a compromise.

Durbin also opposed the appointment of Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and John Roberts, who were also confirmed.

Trade and Consumer Protection

Durbin is a staunch union supporter and a fervent advocate of consumer protection. In 2008, he worked with ex-Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill.) to pass a sweeping bill that increased government oversight of toy production and child product testing. He also blocked efforts to impose a financial cap on product liability suits.

He angered union voters when he supported the North American Free-Trade Agreement and normalized trade relations with China. But in 2006, Durbin said he felt "betrayed" by NAFTA's implementation, and frequently attacks the costs of free trade.

Darfur

As the chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on human rights and the law, Durbin co-sponsored several pieces of legislation on AIDS in Africa and genocide in Darfur. In 2005, he supported the Darfur Accountability Act, which would have attempted to bring peace to the region. The bill would have denied visas to the perpetrators of the genocide.

In 2006, Durbin co-sponsored a bill to fund peace-keeping in the region. In 2007, he spearheaded a bill that called on the United Nations to sanction the Sudanese government for allowing genocide in Darfur.

He has also supported several pieces of legislation that provide funding to stop the spread of AIDS in Africa.

Health-Care Reform

The Network

Durbin's Washington house, where he lives with Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), George Miller (D-CA) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has become famous for its chaos (fast food cartons and clothing are flung on the floor) and the antics of its residents, who have been said to discuss policy in their boxers and kill mice with their bare hands.

Durbin was one of Obama 's earliest supporters, and is credited with convincing him to run for President in 2008. He has been called the "go-to guy" for members of the Illinois delegation looking to pass a bill, and has worked closely with Reps. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill) and ex-Rep. Melissa Bean (D-Ill).

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Additional Resources

Washington Post Votes Database
Almanac of American Politics, 2008 Edition
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-biz-senate-bailout-oct02,0,1498436.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/18/garden/18roomies.html
"Durbin Poised to Step up in New Congress," Chicago Daily Herald, January 4, 2007
http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri_bailout-stalematesep26,0,429315.story
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/22/politics/22durbin.html?_r=1&ref=richardjdurbin
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-durbin-senate-debate-10oct10,0,7264445.story
Biographical information taken from the Almanac of American Politics, 2008 Edition and CQ's Politics in America 2008
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050214/nichols/print
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1183948,00.html
http://elections.foxnews.com/candidate/richard-joseph-durbin/