During a press briefing on Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) was asked if his age impacted his ability to represent constituents or his decision to retire.
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00:00Given the sanctions that exist between upstate and downstate Illinois,
00:03do you think that you leaving the Senate as a downstate Democrat exacerbates that?
00:07No, I don't.
00:08I can't speak for a person who will succeed me as nominee, but I can speak for Tammy Duckworth.
00:13She spends a lot of time downstate, and for her it's a special challenge,
00:19and I respect her very much for it.
00:20She understands the importance of the whole state.
00:22We're seeing a generational shift in the people that are now not running for Senate seats.
00:26As an older member of the U.S. Senate, is there a need for that?
00:36Did you ever feel that your age got in the way of the decisions you made or how you represented the Senate?
00:40No, not at all.
00:41And let me tell you something.
00:42I made this point in other interviews.
00:45Bernie Sanders is older than I am.
00:47He's drawing thousands of people that rallies in places that red states with AOC and other people.
00:54He's got a lot of energy, and he's already announced he's running again.
00:56And two years or four years, whenever he's up next.
00:59Chuck Grassley is a perfect illustration.
01:02He visits every county in his state every year.
01:05I sit next to Chuck in the Judiciary Committee.
01:07He is focused and energetic.
01:10We disagree on a lot of issues, but his age isn't holding him back.
01:14You've got to be honest about this, though.
01:15And many times it's tough to be self-critical when it comes to something as personal as age.
01:21But I feel I'm strong enough to go forward, but I try to think eight years ahead, and I think this is the right decision.
01:27So, let's go ahead.
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