Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin hasn’t yet announced whether he will run for another term in 2026 — but there’s already new polling on potential candidates ready to step in if he retires.
Durbin, who is 80 years old, has repeatedly dodged questions about his political future, and though he has not said so directly, many people believe he will not run for a sixth term. By the end of his current term, he will have served 30 years in the U.S. Senate.
Democrats who might be interested in succeeding Durbin have started organizing, hiring staffers and raising money. Organizing efforts were done almost entirely behind the scenes until Tuesday, when the campaign team for U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, a Democrat from Naperville, sent out a fundraising email proclaiming she is “gearing up and getting ready here on the campaign side” should Durbin retire.
If that happens, Underwood would lead the Senate Democratic primary, according to a new poll commissioned by 314 Action Fund. In March, pollsters surveyed 773 likely 2026 Democratic primary voters in Illinois. They found that Underwood has the highest name recognition of the candidates in the field.
“In every scenario we tested, Congresswoman Underwood is the strongest potential candidate if Sen. Durbin were to retire,” said Erik Polyak, the managing director of 314 Action.
He added that his firm would like to see a “next generation STEM leader.” Underwood is a registered nurse.
In a four-way ballot with U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly and Raja Krishnamoorthi plus Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Underwood had 33 percent of the vote, while Krishnamoorthi had 30 percent, Stratton had 16 percent and Kelly had 10 percent. The remaining 10 percent of voters were undecided.
Of the four potential candidates, Krishnamoorthi has raised the most money: nearly $19 million.
Democratic strategist Jordan Abudayyeh said if Durbin decides not to run, she believes there will be a competitive primary process that will make it one of the most-watched races in the state.
“You’re going to have a lot of people in Illinois who are making very hard choices about what their future looks like in the political sphere. They’re going to have to give up seats in order to join this primary,” Abudayyeh said.
When voters were provided with more information about the candidates, Underwood’s lead increased to 42 percent of the vote compared to Krishnamoorthi’s 25 percent, Stratton’s 19 percent and Kelly’s 9 percent. Four percent were undecided.
If Kelly decided not to run, Underwood would pick up 45 percent of her voters. In the three-way ballot, 39 percent of voters would support Underwood, 32 percent would support Krishnamoorthi and 19 percent would support Stratton.
A source familiar with Kelly’s thinking told NBC 5 Chicago she would “seriously consider running for Senate” if Durbin retires. A spokesperson with Stratton’s political operation told NBC 5: “She continues to keep an open mind about future opportunities and how she can best serve the people of Illinois.”
Krishnamoorthi and Durbin declined to comment on this story.
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