UPDATE: Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced his retirement Wednesday.

The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator.

But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch.

So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term. pic.twitter.com/eiBTPjToFT

He told the New York Times, “There are good people in the wings, good people on the bench ready to serve, and they can fight this fight just as effectively as I can. There comes a point where you have to face reality that this is the time to leave for me.”

This is the text ot the original article, published April 17:

Amid speculation that Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will announce his retirement soon, Democrats are gearing up for a political free-for-all to fill his seat.

Durbin, 80, who has been in Congress since the Reagan........

© The Daily Signal