Senate lawmaker's exit ignites 'once-in-a-decade fight' on Capitol Hill: report

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) may have just announced his retirement, but the bitter battle to replace his leadership position has already taken off on Capitol Hill, according to a new report in Axios.

Durbin on Wednesday announced that his decadeslong career in the Senate would come to an end with his retirement in January.

And while Durbin’s decision will unleash a free-for-all to fill his Illinois seat, his retirement is also setting off “a once-in-a-decade leadership fight for Senate Democrats,” Axios reported Wednesday.

“Durbin, 80, has been the Senate Democratic whip since 2005. Whoever replaces him becomes the instant front-runner to replace Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer down the road,” the report said. “An open fight for the whip spot next year could also complicate Schumer's strategy of privately mediating intraparty disputes.”

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What’s more, the leadership struggle could “potentially expose the party's deep divide on whether to elect a moderate — or a progressive — to help them return to power,” Axios noted.

Democratic lawmakers already jockeying for Durbin’s Senate role include Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Amy Klobuchar (MN), and Sen. Brian Schatz (HI) – the current chief deputy whip, whose interest in the job Axios described as “a poorly kept secret on Capitol Hill.”

Meanwhile, Reps. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) could be out of the gate frontrunners in the race to replace Durbin’s Senate seat in his home state, which former Vice President Kamala Harris carried by nearly 10 percentage points in last year’s election.

Durbin said he expected “at least a dozen” candidates will enter the race, according to Axios.