Durbin wins 3rd term in U.S. Senate

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, coasted to a third term Tuesday night as his colleague from Illinois rose to the White House and shortly after his eldest daughter died.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Durbin beat Republican family physician Steve Sauerberg of Willowbrook with 67 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results late Tuesday.

"Thank you to the people of Illinois for this vote of confidence," Durbin said in a statement. "On a personal note, my family and I greatly appreciate the recent outpouring of kindness and support from every corner of our state."

Durbin's 40-year-old daughter Christine died over the weekend from complications related to a congenital heart condition.

Sauerberg was an underfunded candidate against Durbin, but he painted the Springfield Democrat as an extreme liberal. "We may have come up short tonight, but our efforts were not in vain and our work is not done," he said.