Dick Durbin has been an Illinois Senator since 1997, and holds the position of Senate Majority Whip. He’s running for his fourth senate term. Durbin, who defeated Pat Quinn in 1997 to become senator, is considered one of the most liberal of his colleagues. He crusades to raise the Federal minimum wage, reform immigration, lower carbon emissions and stiffer penalties on straw gun purchasers.
Durbin faces off against Illinois State Senator and dairy magnate Jim Oberweis. Oberwies has run for election five times for various positions, finally landing on State Senate in 2013.
Oberweis, a Republican, would like to repeal the Affordable Care and Recovery Act known as Obamacare and replace it. He’d also favor raising the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67.
The race heavily favors Durbin.
The incumbent led 55-32 in a September Chicago Tribune poll. Making things worse for Oberweis, the national Republican Party has declined to monetarily support his bid for the seat, leaving his campaign up to him.
