Bobby Rush
Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, civil rights leader and pastor. Rush is the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 1st congressional district. He was first elected in 1992 and took office in 1993. He retired in 2023. The district was located in the South Side of Chicago.
Bobby Rush | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district | |
In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2023 | |
Preceded by | Charles Hayes |
Succeeded by | Jonathan Jackson |
Chicago City Alderman for the 2nd Ward | |
In office 1983–1993 | |
Preceded by | William Barnett |
Succeeded by | Madeline Haithcock |
Personal details | |
Born | Bobby Lee Rush November 23, 1946 Albany, Georgia, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) |
Carolyn Thomas
(m. 1981; died 2017) |
Children | 7 |
Residence | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Alma mater | Roosevelt University (B.G.S.) University of Illinois at Chicago (M.A.) McCormick Seminary (M.A.) Illinois Institute of Technology (Ph.D.) |
Occupation | |
Website | House website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1963–1968 |
A member of the Democratic Party, Rush is the only politician to have defeated Barack Obama in an election, which he did in the 2000 Democratic primary for Illinois' 1st congressional district.[2]
A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush became radicalized for a period and founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers.
In 1999, Rush ran for Mayor of Chicago, but lost in the Democratic primary to incumbent Richard M. Daley.[3]
In 2015, Rush endorsed Mayor Rahm Emanuel in Emanuel's run-off reelection campaign against Jesus "Chuy" Garcia.[4]
On January 3, 2022, he announced that he was retiring from the U.S. House of Representatives.[5]
References
change- ↑ NNDB - Bobby Rush
- ↑ Remnick, David (November 17, 2008). "The Joshua Generation: Race and the Campaign of Barack Obama". New Yorker.
- ↑ Lizza, Ryan (July 21, 2008). "Making It: How Chicago Shaped Obama". The New Yorker.
- ↑ Bosman, Julie, "Struggles to Unite Latinos and Blacks", New York Times, April 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Rep. Bobby Rush to retire after 15 terms". January 3, 2022.
Other websites
change- Congressman Bobby Rush official U.S. House site
- Bobby Rush at the Open Directory Project
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Vote Smart
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Rush Appearances on C-SPAN