Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin resigning from state legislature
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) is resigning from the Illinois General Assembly.
Sunday night, a spokesperson confirmed Durkin will step down from the Illinois House on Tuesday, one day before the new Illinois General Assembly is sworn in.
Durkin announced in the fall he wouldn't seek the leadership position again, after his party lost several seats in the November election.
Durkin told CBS Chicago streaming anchor Brad Edwards on Tuesday, his last day in office, that he is resigning now because he believes extremists have taken over the Republican Party.
"I'm not happy with the posture of the party, and the direction it is going. I saw that over the past six years, starting with President Trump, but also what happened in our statewide races," Durkin said. "I worked very hard. I did what I could, but the thing is I just, I have a very difficult time saying I can support these extremists that have taken over and hijacked the party."
He will be replaced as minority leader by Rep. Tony McCombie when the new Illinois General Assembly is sworn in on Wednesday.
Durkin, a former Cook County prosecutor, was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1995 and served until 2003, after deciding not to run for another term in 2002. He rejoined the House in 2006, after he was appointed to finish the term of former State Rep. Eileen Lyons, and was reelected every term since.
He has served as the House Minority Leader since 2013.
Illinois Republican Party leaders will pick a successor for Durkin's seat in the House.
