The file
Democratic · U.S. Senator, Illinois · Illinois · Spectrum score -42
Senate · 2026 ballot ·
Dick Durbin is U.S. Senator, Illinois in Illinois. Political positions and ideology score -42 (Left). Durbin is the process.
- College
- Georgetown University, B.S.F.S. 1966 · Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 1969
- Spouse
- Loretta Schaefer Durbin (m. 1967)
- Children
- Three
- Résumé
- U.S. Senator · Illinois · 1997–
- Senate Majority / Minority Whip · 2005–2025
- U.S. Representative · Illinois-20 · 1983–1997
- Net worth
- $3.2M
- Salary
- $174,000
- Before office
- $500K
- 2026 raised
- $6.0M
- Years in office
- 43
Member of Congress · frozen since 2009
Where Dick stands on the spectrum
Dick Durbin scores -42 on Spectrum’s left–right line (left), left of center on the economy and progressive on social issues. The number is modeled from twelve issue positions and the public record — not a poll and not a party label.
Composite -42 · Left · economic -52 · social -48 · authoritarian -23
Confidence 94. How we calculate scores →
Background & record
Durbin is the process. The file is a whip who became a brand without becoming a fortune: Illinois unions and lawyers, a judiciary gavel, a 2026 that may be a farewell tour with a national checkbook.
Finances
Modeled midpoints from public disclosures — not an audit of any household.
Net worth
$3.2M
+540% since taking office
Senate disclosure midpoint, 2024
Springfield to whip. A 40-year career, Illinois lawyer money, not a Chicago board seat.
Money in · 2026 cycle
- Raised
- $6.0M
- Cash on hand
- $2.4M
Top industries
- Lawyers
- Unions
- Health
- Leadership PACs
Stock holdings
Index / retirement funds
Forty-year career. Funds, not a Chicago board seat.
Disclosure midpoint, 2024–25 · STOCK Act ranges, not an audit
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market
Joint
$100K–$500K
VXUS
Vanguard Total International
Joint
$30K–$150K
Sum of ranges $130K–$650K · midpoint $390K
X sentiment
Last 7 days
Odds
Polymarket · Kalshi
Implied probability from open contracts. Real money, not a poll. Updates while you sit here.
Live wire
Live · checked just now
New articles land here as they publish. Checking about every 12 seconds.
Conflicts
- Judiciary as a staff-and-donor operation.
- 2026 as a possible last race — the PAC already behaves like a succession.
Issue detail
−100 left pole · +100 right pole
- Economic
- -52
- Social
- -48
- Authoritarian
- -23
- Confidence
- 94
- Taxes & spending-50
Higher taxes on high earners, larger public budget
- Health care-60
Public or single-payer coverage as a right
- Climate & energy-56
Aggressive climate rules and fossil-fuel phase-down
- Business regulation-48
Stronger antitrust, labor, and consumer rules
- Labor & wages-46
Unions, higher minimum wage, worker power
- Immigration-48
A broader legal path, less interior enforcement
- Abortion-72
Legal access, opposed to bans
- Guns-54
Licensing, assault-weapon limits, red-flag laws
- Crime & policing-32
Reform, diversion, less incarceration
- Schools & speech-48
Public-school investment, DEI frameworks
- Defense & alliances-14
Diplomacy-first, smaller overseas footprint
- Civil liberties-28
Privacy, speech, limits on surveillance and bans
Legislative first dimension (NOMINATE-like): -0.35
Compare & explore
Nearest scores, same state, and the placement quiz.
Constituent reviews
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Updated August 2026.