Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois announced Wednesday morning that he is running for Senate in 2026.

The seat is opening up with the planned retirement of Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill.

“Senator Dick Durbin is a titan who will go down as one of the most effective and dedicated public servants in Illinois history. I am deeply humbled by the encouragement I have received from friends, family members, and community leaders encouraging me, a fellow son of downstate, to run for the U.S. Senate,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement.

Krishnamoorthi, who was born in India, moved as a child to western New York before growing up in Peoria, Ill. He is serving his fifth term representing a northern Illinois district. He is the ranking member of both the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services.

“I’ll never be quiet while billionaires like Elon Musk and a convicted felon deny the dreams of the next generation for their own egos and personal profit,” Krishnamoorthi said in his announcement video, with an overlay photo of President Donald Trump.

Krishnamoorthi is a prolific fundraiser who has more than $19 million in his campaign war chest. He joins a Democratic primary race that already includes Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and (as of Tuesday) Rep. Robin Kelly. Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood is also a potential candidate.

It’s also another case of a House Democrat from a fairly safe district opting to run for Senate. Krishnamoorthi prevailed with over 57 percent of the vote in 2024.

His campaign said the congressman plans to hold his first official Senate campaign events on Friday, traveling to Peoria and Chicago, as well as Schaumburg, where he currently resides.

An earlier version of this report misstated the House tenure of Krishnamoorthi. He is in his fifth term.