Since his election to the U.S. Senate in 1996, Democrat Dick Durbin has not faced a single primary challenge. That changes in the 2020 cycle with Anne Stava-Murray.

Anne Stava-Murray is no stranger to upsetting the establishment. Her first act as an Illinois House Representative was to, against the advice of politicos and her colleagues, vote against House Speaker Mike Madigan. Throughout the past year, the 76-year-old Democrat has been intensely criticized for his mishandling of sexual harassment allegations. Yet his status as a kingmaker in Illinois politics has scared even many of his progressive colleagues out of criticizing him. But Stava-Murray is standing her ground, even after being threatened by fellow legislators in the Democratic Party.

This bravery makes her a uniquely formidable primary opponent to Dick Durbin, who, as Senate Minority Whip, has the unified support of the Democratic Party establishment. The 74-year-old is a fairly typical Senate Democrat, taking corporate campaign contributions and voting with Donald Trump 25% of the time. Notably, Durbin has helped Trump pack the courts by voting to fast-track the nominations of dozens of far-right judicial nominees.

Stava-Murray, on the other hand, says that she is committed to opposing the Trump agenda in its entirety, not just when it’s politically convenient. She is prepared to shake things up in Washington, D.C. by pushing for transformative progressive change. At 33 years old she hopes to join a new generation of young progressive women like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Lauren Underwood, and Rashida Tlaib who prioritize people over party, authenticity over respectability politics, and values over opportunism. (Congresswoman Underwood personally encouraged Stava-Murray to run.)

And she has a real chance. According to Morning Consult, Dick Durbin was the 10th least popular U.S. Senator of the final quarter of 2018. Of the remaining incumbents going into the 115th Congress – five of the senators ranking above Durbin were not re-elected in November – Durbin is the fifth least popular senator in the nation. A grand total of 36% of Illinoisans surveyed by Morning Consult approve of Durbin.

Rep. Anne Stava-Murray joined us on the podcast to discuss her path to victory, her love for Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Party for One” music video, and more. Listen on iTunes or in your browser below: