Durbin is from the more conservative downstate IL. He went way left to primary the incumbent Sen. Dixon in the Democrat 1992 Democrat primary.
Durbin is a classical hypocritical opportunist: He played at being conservative when he represented a district centered in the Springfield area. He was pro-life and pro-gun while in the Illinois General Assembly and the US House of Representatives. He moved to the far left when he entered the US Senate and needed votes from Chicago.