(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Veteran Congressman Bobby Rush is expected to announce Tuesday he will not seek re-election after the conclusion of his 15th term.
The Chicago Democrat confirmed his imminent retirement with the Chicago Sun-Times.
First elected to Congress in 1992, Rush told the paper he’ll continue his ministry and hopes to inspire young people and spend time with his grandchildren.
“I want them to know me on an intimate level, know something about me and I want to know something about them. I don’t want to be a historical figure to my grandchildren,” the Sun-Times quoted Rush as saying.
The onetime radical, who helped form the Illinois Black Panther Party, segued into politics with a stint on the Chicago City Council beginning in the 1980s.
As a well-entrenched member of Congress, he notably defeated future U.S. president Barack Obama in the 2000 Democratic primary for the 1st Congressional District.
Rush, 75, recently announced he was recovering from a breakthrough case of COVID-19. He has had health issues in recent years.
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