Durkin Resigning from House
House Republican Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) who announced after the election he would step down from leadership, will resign from the House Tuesday night.
After stepping aside as House Republican Leader at the end of the current General Assembly, GOP Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) will resign from the legislature before the new General Assembly is sworn in Wednesday.
“It is with a heavy heart but a lifetime of great memories that I submit my resignation,” Durkin wrote in his resignation letter.
He was forced to step aside after the House GOP struggled to raise money and took it on the chin in the November election, losing nearly every tier one race and falling to a record low 78-40 seat superminority.
Durkin, 61, served in the House from 1995-2003 before losing a U.S. Senate race in 2002. He returned to the House in 2006 and has served as Republican leader since 2013.
Durkin has said he’s “somewhere in between” a moderate and a conservative. He has espoused policy positions in opposition to Democratic issues like the SAFE-T Act, but also voted for an assault weapons ban last week.
Rep. Tony McCombie (R-Savanna), has already been elected to replace Durkin as leader.
Republican leaders will appoint Durkin’s successor and the suburban Cook County district is expected to be a “tier one” race in 2024.