Dick Durbin

ON THE ISSUES

• Lead efforts to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and introduced legislation to create “climate bonds” to help fund the efforts against climate change
• Voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, the most significant action Congress has ever taken to address climate change
• Earned a 89% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard

WHY THIS RACE MATTERS

• Senate Democratic Whip
• Contributing to this race now will help Durbin build his campaign warchest early for his race in 2026
• Serves on the Senate Appropriation, Judiciary, and Agriculture Committees

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND

Dick Durbin is currently serving his fifth term representing Illinois in the U.S. Senate. An attorney, he served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 until 1996, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. In 2005, he was elected as Senate Democratic Whip, a position he has held since. A strong supporter of climate action, Senator Durbin has used his position in the Senate Democratic leadership to lead efforts to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards over the last several years and has introduced legislation to create “climate bonds” to help fund the efforts against climate change. Durbin supports enacting commonsense federal laws that would carefully and dramatically slow the rate of carbon emissions and prepare and protect against the consequences of the climate crisis, so that the repercussions for our economy, national security, and global ecosystems can be addressed before it’s too late.

Durbin has has consistently fought industry efforts to discharge increased pollutants into the Great Lakes and worked with federal and state authorities to ensure that our drinking water standards protect public health. Senator Durbin will continue to work to restore, preserve, and protect the Great Lakes—one of our country's greatest natural resources.He has also worked to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other public lands fought against toxic petcoke and introduced the Environmental Justice Act of 2019 with Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cory Booker (D-NJ). For his efforts, Senator Durbin has earned a solid 89% lifetime score on LCV’s National Environmental Scorecard.