Republican Jim Durkin began his political career at age 27, when he ran for a seat on the Triton College Board of Directors. He later served eight years in the Illinois House before running for U.S. Senate in 2002. Durkin said he won the primary with 47 percent of the vote. Running against incumbent Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Durkin won the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Champaign News-Gazette, but ultimately lost the race.

He agreed to describe the process of running for national public office for the Daily Illini.

Question: CAN you tell me a little bit about why you first decided to run for office?

Answer: It was just picking up the paper. When I first ran for school board, I saw trustees abusing power and not taking care of what they should. I know plenty of people who are Monday-morning quarterbacks, who go through life and complain and don’t do anything about it. I thought that I could do a better job. I decided I could let things go by and complain or I could do something about them.

Q: So you basically felt it was your civic duty?

A: I believe we all have an obligation to give back in some way, no matter what profession we’re in.

Q: Why did you decide to run for Senate?

A: (Before getting into politics), I looked at folks in Washington like they were sitting on Mount Olympus. But after meeting these individuals and getting to know them, I realized they were no better than me. I felt that (Durbin) was not representing the state well and again, I thought, “I’m not going to complain without going out there and doing something about it.” I felt it was important for me to step up to the plate and challenge the incumbent and his policies. I’m not intimidated by politicians in Washington or in Springfield. You reach a point where you feel you can take it to the next level.

Q: What is the hardest part of campaigning?

A: You’re going to be rejected by a number of people no matter where you’re at. In such a large state, some people will not endorse you. The hardest thing is just time away from your home and your family. It’s literally walking into hotel rooms that are similar to the ones in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But those are the things you have to live with; it’s a fact of life when you’re running for office. What’s also very difficult between the primaries and the general election? The momentum you build up dissipates very quickly.

Q: What’s the best part? The most enjoyable?

A: The enjoyable part is the last month of the race. People paid attention all of a sudden; I was receiving endorsements and debating Dick Durbin. The president called the morning after I won the primary to congratulate me. John McCain called me. I went to the Capitol and was having lunch with all these people. I was sitting next to Fred Thompson. You get to meet some fascinating people and see things most people don’t get to see.

Q: How difficult is it running against an incumbent like Dick Durbin?

A: Obviously, my opponent had a significant financial edge. In the primary, I was outspent five to one. One of the harsh realities of running for office is the importance of buying TV time. The incumbent has built-in name identification and I’m starting from ground zero. I spent eight years representing 100,000 people and suddenly I’m availing myself to millions of people. Any time anything happens, there’s a TV crew wanting his opinion. When you’re not the incumbent, it’s difficult to win that earned media.

Q: What don’t people realize about running for office?

A: People don’t realize how hard it is to run a statewide campaign. When you’re in Metropolis, Ill., you’re actually closer to Atlanta than to Chicago. You can’t change people’s minds, but most people who run have good intentions. There’s always a cynic … People need to pay more attention to the people they’re electing. Whether in Springfield or Washington, you just blindly vote for someone because you like the name. I guess my hope is that in generations to come, there’ll be greater awareness of people in public office. Just remember, you choose who makes these decisions.