House Rep Who Once Defeated Barack Obama Reportedly Becomes 24th Dem Not to Run For Re-Election in 2022

U.S. House Rep Bobby Rush (D-IL), the only person to ever defeat Barack Obama in an election, has reportedly become the 24th Democrat not to run for re-election in 2022.

Rush has been in Congress now for 30 years and NBC Chicago 5 said that he would be making the announcement officially this week.

Redistricting expert Dave Wasserman quote tweeted a video from journalist Mary Ann Ahern and said, “#IL01 Rep. Bobby Rush (D), the only person to ever beat Barack Obama in an election, reportedly becoming the 24th House Dem to forgo reelection in 2022.”

#IL01 Rep. Bobby Rush (D), the only person to ever beat Barack Obama in an election, reportedly becoming the 24th House Dem to forgo reelection in 2022. https://t.co/RB21vnpLZV

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) January 3, 2022

According to a 2007 article from the New York Times, Obama was a 38-year-old state senator and University of Chicago lecturer at the time when he challenged Rush in 1999.

Rush ended up winning the primary with 61% of the vote compared to just 30% for Obama. “He was blinded by his ambition,” Rush said of Obama.

“Obama has never suffered from a lack of believing that he can accomplish whatever it is he decides to try. Obama believes in Obama. And, frankly, that has its good side but it also has its negative side,” Rush explained.

Despite getting his “rear end handed” to him as he later put it, Obama ran successfully for the United States Senate and with no incumbent, abundant planning, and with a more experienced campaign staff, including David Axelrod, he won that seat.

The article from the Times also noted that Rush is a former Black Panther, whose stronghold on the South Side of Chicago was, and still is, overwhelmingly black, Democratic, and working class.

Democrats in Illinois approved a new map in redistricting that will stretch the first congressional district further south in an attempt to get more Democrats elected from the state.

Three lawsuits that was filed to have the map thrown out was recently dismissed as the court found that there was no violation of the consitution or the voting rights act.