FILE - U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., waves to guests in the balcony as he takes his seat on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, before President Donald Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress. Longtime U.S. Rep. Rush, a onetime Black Panther with a dramatic rise in Illinois politics, won't seek reelection after 15 terms representing his Chicago-area district, according to a prepared video announcement obtained Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Longtime U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois won’t seek reelection after 15 terms in office. The 75-year-old Chicago Democrat known for anti-violence and racial equity advocacy said in a prepared video announcement obtained Monday by The Associated Press that he’d remain in the public eye through church work. Rush confirmed his plans to retire to The Chicago Sun-Times. Rush was first elected in 1992 and holds the distinction of being the only person to ever beat Barack Obama, easily defeating the then-state senator in a 2000 congressional primary race. The evolution of Rush’s political career has been dramatic. He  co-founded the Illinois Black Panthers before deciding he could do more within the establishment.