Washington DC (Washington Insider Magazine) — Richard Joseph Durbin was an American lawyer and Democratic politician. He has been representing Illinois in the United States Senate since 1997. As of 2021, he is in his fifth term and currently serves as the Senate Democratic whip (the second-highest position in the Democratic leadership). Furthermore, Durbin chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and had the responsibility of leading the hearings for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Biography
Dick Durbin was born on born November 21, 1944. He is 78 years old. He was born to an Irish-American father and a Lithuanian mother. Durbin was born in east St Louis Illinois and spend his early years there. Durbin graduated from Assumption High School in East St. Louis in 1962 and from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in 1966. As a student, he worked at a meatpacking plant and interned for Senator Paul Douglas.
He pursued a J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1969. Launching his law practice in Springfield that same year, Durbin served as Lieutenant Governor Paul Simon’s legal counsel until 1972.
He then acted as legal counsel to the Illinois State Senate Judiciary Committee until 1982. His campaign for the Illinois State Senate (1976) and his run for lieutenant governor alongside Michael Bakalis (1978) both ended unsuccessfully. Nevertheless, he held a five-year adjunct professor position at Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine during this period.
House of Representatives of the United States
In 1982, Durbin emerged victorious in the Democratic primary of the now-abolished 20th congressional district. This district encompassed Macon and most of Springfield. His success was achieved by only a 1,400-vote margin over 22-year incumbent Paul Findley, a United States Navy veteran. He had been drastically disadvantaged due to redistricting that replaced 35% of the voters.
Durbin’s campaign informed citizens about the problems facing unemployed farmers. He stated that their decision to elect him would be a message to President Reagan that “our economic policies are not working”.
He also gained support from AIPAC, who opposed Findley’s association with the Palestine Liberation Organization and contributed substantially to his victory. Subsequently, Durbin won at least 55% of the ballots in six consecutive elections except in 1994, rarely having potent rivals.
Senate of the United States
Dick Durbin served as the United States senator from Illinois. During the final night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, Durbin introduced fellow Illinoisan Barack Obama as his party’s nominee. As the Democratic candidate to replace retiring Senator Paul Simon, Durbin defeated Pat Quinn in 1996.
In the general election, Durbin faced Republican State Representative Al Salvi. The election had been expected to be competitive, but Durbin won by 15 points. In 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020, he was reelected by at least 10 points.
Leadership Role
In November 1998, Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader at the time, appointed Durbin Assistant Democratic Whip. After the 2004 election, Durbin was promoted to serve as the Democratic Whip in the 109th Congress. This made him the first senator from Illinois to take on this position since Everett Dirksen in the late 1950s. he is the fifth to serve in Senate leadership.
From 2005 to 2007, when the Democrats became the majority party in the Senate, he then assumed his role as assistant majority leader or majority whip. In addition to his responsibilities within his caucus, Durbin also chairs two sub-committees: Human Rights and Financial Services and General Government.
As for Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign, it is reported that he had been considering asking Durbin to be his running mate for Vice President. But Lieberman was ultimately selected instead. Ahead of Majority Leader Harry Reid facing a difficult reelection fight in 2010 it was suspected both Durbin and Chuck Schumer could be seen competing for Reid’s role. However, Reid’s reelection meant speculation ended there. In 2021, with the 117th Congress came to Durbin taking on Senate Majority Whip once again; along with chairing the Senate
Family
Durbin is married to Loretta Schaefer. The couple has been together for many years. He and his wife Loretta have three children, Christine, Jennifer, and Paul. After several weeks in the hospital with complications due to a congenital heart condition, Christine Durbin died on November 1, 2008. She was just 40 years old at the time of her death.
Controversies Surrounding Dick Durbin
The Chicago Tribune reported in 2014 that some of Durbin’s wife’s clients had received federal funding pushed through by the senator himself. On top of that, Durbin was found to have provided financial backing for a housing non-profit when his wife held a one-year contract with the organization. He had earmarked money for a state university his spouse was acting as a lobbyist for. He also rallied for public health help when she lobbied for it on a state level. Even so, the Durbins affirmed they do their best to stay clear of conflicts of interest.
Religion
Durbin is Roman Catholic and has had contentious relationships with the Church. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois barred him from communion in 2004. He voted against the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. This was reaffirmed by current Bishop Thomas John Paprocki in 2018 after Durbin voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
Durbin has stayed away from his Springfield parish ever since to avoid creating a spectacle. His response to the communion ban was that he is accountable to his constituents. Even if it means disagreeing with Church teachings he will do what he wants to.
In 2017, Durbin was criticized for asking Court of Appeals nominee Amy Coney Barrett about her self-descriptive title ‘orthodox Catholic’. During the Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, there were concerns that it might paint Catholics who don’t share the Church’s views on abortion or capital punishment unfairly.
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Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Dick Durbin is more than $1.9 million. He is a successful politician and his source of income is his political career. Dick has been receiving a massive yearly salary and this has resulted in his growing net worth. The net worth of Dick Durbin will see an increase in the upcoming years because he earns a good sum of money as his yearly salary.
