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With Durbin Not Running for Reelection, Is This Top Democrat Next to Retire?

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  April 24, 2025 5:45 PM

On Wednesday, 80-year-old Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), who also serves as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced that he would not be seeking reelection for 2026. He joins several other Democrats who recently announced they are retiring, including Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Peters had even served as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) for the past two cycles. Both seats are considered to be more so battlegrounds than the vacancy Durbin is leaving behind.

Even more retirements could follow, though, and from another Democrat in leadership. We're talking about the 74-year-old Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who has already been in the news surrounding the chatter that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) will run against him and defeat him in a primary. Schumer isn't up for reelection until 2028, though, the same year that AOC may actually run for president. 

At the very end of last month, a Data for Progress poll was published showing that AOC leads Schumer by 55-36 percent among likely Democratic primary voters. The congresswoman has a commanding lead regardless of the negative statements read against her, as the poll also showed. Further, AOC is the most popular New York politician among these respondents, and the fourth overall, among a list such voters were given to choose from.

The poll was conducted March 26-31 and released earlier this month, as we covered at the time, and it's remained top of mind for many. With Durbin's announcement, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who may run for governor of New York next year, has a suggestion that Schumer should join him. Sure enough, in a quoted repost of Durbin's video message about his retirement, Lawler referenced how Schumer could lose to AOC.

"After 50 years of being an elected official — good grief Chuck — do us all a favor and announce you won’t run for reelection in 2028," Lawler implored. "At least if you do it now, it won’t look like you were scared off by @AOC!," he added, tagging the congresswoman. Lawler also tagged Schumer in his post. 

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Schumer was first elected to this seat in 1998, after he beat the incumbent Sen. Al D'Amato, a Republican, who was the last Republican to serve as U.S. Senator for New York. He was first elected as a member of the U.S. House for New York's 16th Congressional District in 1980, and was first elected to serve as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1974.

In addition to his post over X from Wednesday, Lawler also spoke out against Schumer during his Wednesday appearance on "The Story with Martha MacCallum."

That appearance featured Lawler's post, as well as referenced numbers from other polls, including the Siena College poll from January, which showed AOC with a 47 percent approval rating among New York voters. Schumer is meanwhile at just a 39 percent approval rating, which host Trace Gallagher stressed "is the worst in Siena College polling, the first time since 2005 he's been underwater like that."

In response, Lawler reminded how long Schumer has been in elected office, stressing that "it's time to go." He may not even make that decision for himself if he waits too long, though, as the congressman also warned, once more bringing up AOC. "And the fact is, if he doesn't make the decision for himself, AOC and Democrats will, and he will be booted out of office come '28, because he's feckless! He's ineffective, and I think most people recognize he's past his prime."

Lawler brought up even more issues with the Democratic leader beyond how he's been in elected office for far too long. "He doesn't seem to realize that, but you look at what happened last year, on these college campuses, especially at Columbia, he tells the Columbia leadership, 'keep your head down, don't worry about it, not a problem!' He refused to pass the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, my bill to combat antisemitism on college campuses, sat on it for eight months because he was afraid of offending Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren," he continued about Schumer, referencing news reports that, according to a report late last year from House Republicans, Schumer assured the then university president that the institution would be spared trouble from Democrats, and that their "political problems are really only among Republicans." Lawler also spoke to Townhall last year to call out Schumer for not doing enough to speak out against antisemitism, and for sitting on his bill, which passed the House last year with bipartisan support. 

The congressman continued by speaking about the Democratic Party as part of the bigger picture. "It's a joke! And the fact is, when you see AOC surging, the Democratic base is rallying behind her and Bernie Sanders, they're not rallying behind Chuck Schumer!"

Gallagher spoke to AOC's social media following as well her "saying these wild things," with another far-left Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) doing the same, offering "it's because they know it's gonna get views, it's gonna get noticed."

Lawler responded by once more focusing on the Democratic base. "Not only is it gonna get views, that's where their base is!" He also referenced how even San Francisco Democrats, in a particularly liberal city, are calling for moderation, calling that idea "a joke," reminding that the's district where Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who "is someone who will obviously say and do anything to win an election," is from, adding, "but when it comes time to govern, govern as a radical left." Lawler also brought up Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), referencing the senator who was still serving up until her death as why there's the idea for age requirements. 

The conversation on Fox News also concluded by returning to Durbin's retirement, with Lawler offering "that wouldn't surprise me" if Rahm Emanuel, who served as then President Barack Obama's chief of staff, were to replace him. He was also mayor of Chicago, though Lawler stressed he was "terrible" at that job, but was "replaced by two people even worse than him," including current Mayor Brandon Johnson, "so he looks better obviously as the years go on."

"But the fact is," Lawler added, "Illinois has the same crisis that New York and California have, which is feckless, Democratic leadership that has destroyed these states," making Emanuel and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY), who is running for mayor of New York and leading in the polls, "make it seem like the good ol' days!"

Other recent polls show bad news for Schumer as well. As we also covered, a recent Gallup poll shows that Americans, including Schumer's fellow Democrats, have very little confidence in him on the economy, with 42 percent of Americans saying they have "almost none" of that confidence in him. Just 6 percent say they have a "great deal" in him, and 19 percent saying they have a "fair amount." Among his fellow Democrats, just 48 percent say they have that "great deal/fair amount" of confidence in him on the economy.

Further, YouGov America showed on April 13, the most recent day available, that he has a 24.9 percent-56.4 percent favorable/unfavorable rating among registered voters. Among his fellow Democrats, his favorability rating is 47.4 percent-35.2 percent favorable/unfavorable rating. He's the 38th most popular Democrat, according to YouGov, while AOC is meanwhile the 6th most popular. 

Will Schumer heed Lawler's advice? It's unlikely, given what he said to Semafor for their World Economy Summit on Wednesday. He even believes he'll be the majority leader come 2027.