<p>From the legislation that banned smoking on domestic flights to his persistent push for "dreamers" to live legally in the United States, outgoing Senator Dick Durbin recalled the highlights of his 44 years of public service on Wednesday, and also issued a grave warning about the midterm elections this fall.</p><p>"Today we gather five months before a national election. The debates in Congress and the trials in our courts indicate that this next election could be challenged in ways we have never seen before in our history," Durbin said before the Illinois General Assembly.</p><p>"Abraham Lincoln, in the 'House Divided' speech he gave here in Springfield, made a somber warning that divisions in the United States over the issue of slavery could destroy our nation... The challenge we face in the coming days could be equally serious.