By AP / KWMU
Washington, DC – Durbin says he already has the votes he needs to win the job. He says one potential rival for the post, Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), called him to say he wouldn't run.
The whip is the second-ranking job in the party leadership and involves rounding up votes on major issues.
The 59-year-old Durbin was elected to the House in 1982 and won his Senate seat in 1996.
He's been an active advocate on such
issues as tobacco regulation and gun control.