(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Longtime South Side Congressman Bobby Rush confirmed Tuesday he won’t run for re-election after 15 terms, and he expects to endorse a successor.
News of Rush’s imminent retirement broke Monday. At a news conference today, he offered reasons “why.” Rush, an ordained minister, said he wants to spend more time at his church and with his family and community.
“I am not retiring, I am returning,” he said at a news conference.
Rush, 75, entered the public scene as a political activist decades ago. He was a founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party and later became a Chicago City Council member. He became a congressman nearly 30 years ago, representing the 1st Congressional District.
He said he would continue pursuing a variety of political objectives, including reparations for descendants of slaves and a federal law against lynching.
The Democrat said he’ll endorse a candidate to replace him. Potential successors have already expressed interest in running.
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