And now from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, the Act Spiles, with your host, David Axelrod.

I first met Dick Durbin when he was a 33-year-old candidate for Lieutenant Governor in Illinois in 1978.

He got the job because nobody else wanted it. It was on a Doomsday mission in that particular election.

But ultimately he ended up in Congress in the United States Senate where he's become one of the most reliable progressive voices and a familiar figure on national television in the Senate floor jousting on the major issues of the day.

Dick and I also share a mentor in the late Senator Paul Simon and he share some of those qualities that Paul had of integrity and just homespun common sense.

So I really enjoyed sitting down with him the other day at the IOP.

Dick Durbin, I've known you for a very long time. In fact, when I met you, I was a young reporter and you were a 33-year-old candidate for Lieutenant Governor back in 1978.

And that was one of several races. It was an impossible race which is why you got to be the candidate for Lieutenant Governor because nobody else would line up for it.

And you went through a few losses before you ended up in Congress.

Tell me about your early experiences that led you into public office.

By accident, I became an intern in the office of US Senator Paul Douglas in Washington.

What do you mean by accident? You just opened the wrong door?

No, my roommate was from Chicago and John Stucker was his name. And he saw this notice in a bulletin board to be interns in the needed office of US Senator.

Where were you guys?

Georgetown.

School of Foreign Service. Two years ahead of Clinton.

And so he saw this thing about being an intern. He went to it. He came back to our apartment and said, man, this is the coolest thing in the world.

I'm an old Senate office building and I saw Bobby Kennedy and Teddy Kennedy and Wayne Morrison, Jake Javits. And I said, do they need another intern?

He asked him and he said, we don't get any downstate Democrats. Of course we'll take you. I was from East St. Louis.

So I worked for Paul Douglas, worked on his campaign when he lost against Percy in 66 and met a state senator named Paul Simon, who was campaigning for Paul Douglas.

I heard of that guy.

I end up graduating law school. My first job is with Simon in Springfield. I bring my wife, baby, another child on the way.

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