After a half-dozen senior senators have announced their retirements, it now passes as news when a Senate veteran up for re-election in 2014 decides to try to stick around for another six years. Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, has decided to do just that, according to Senate officials familiar with his decision.
Although nothing is official, Mr. Durbin’s re-election bid will give a little breathing space to Senate Democrats, who already faced a third straight election cycle in which their majority could be at risk before four of their most senior members announced their retirements in recent weeks. The departures next year of Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa, Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Carl Levin of Micigan will result in a major changing of the guard in a body once known for stability and longevity. Between them, those four have logged 21 terms, and by retirement, 126 years in the Senate.
Those departures also present unexpected headaches in states that could give the party real election trouble.
Republicans are losing Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Mike Johanns of Nebraska to retirement next year as well, but those states are considerably less open to a Democratic charge.
Political prognosticators have been ruminating for months over a possible retirement of South Dakota’s Democratic senator, Tim Johnson. But at least in Mr. Durbin, Democrats are likely to keep a Midwestern state off the battleground list.
Mr. Durbin h! as $2.6 million in the bank now, and with pending fund-raisers, he expects to near $3 million by the end of the month, according to officials watching his re-election efforts. He has held more than 20 political events since November and will spend the spring traveling around the country, raising money for his own re-election, the campaigns of colleagues and for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Follow Jonathan Weisman on Twitter at @jonathanweisman.
