About the Candidate
Name: Rush Darwish
DOB: Feb. 24, 1977
Occupation: Small business owner
Political Experience: Serves on Executive Board of AMVOTE PAC, served on Lori Lightfoot’s transition committee for transportation and infrastructure
Website: rush4congress.com
Twitter: @rush4congress
Candidate Statement
Are you tired of seeing the same politicians argue over their extreme ideas while everyday people get left behind? You’re not alone.
Hi, I’m Rush Darwish, and I’m running for Congress in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District. My parents came to this country to pursue the American Dream. We didn’t have much when I was growing up, but I learned the promise of the American Dream from a young age.
I’m not a politician – I’m a family man, a humanitarian, and a small business owner. Since 2006, I’ve run the Chicago marathon nine times and raised millions of dollars for children affected by violence in war‐torn countries who can’t afford their own medical care.
I serve on the executive board of AMVOTE PAC, which helps underrepresented communities in Chicagoland register to vote and get involved in the political process. Before I ran for Congress, I also served on Mayor Lightfoot’s transition committee for Transportation and Infrastructure.
I know the problems that working‐class, immigrant, and middle‐class families face, because I grew up working class, because I come from an immigrant family, and because I was able to make it into the middle class as an adult. Our district needs someone who understands what life is like for the majority of Americans.
I support Medicare for All Who Want It because I know that as a parent and a small‐business owner, we need to treat healthcare as a human right while allowing families to choose what is best for them. My opponents either don’t believe that healthcare is a human right, or think that you and your family should be forced onto a government run plan, whether it works for you or not.
As the product of public schools, I understand that we need to make our public education system better – and promote trade programs in our schools to create the middle‐class of tomorrow.
And as the son of immigrants, I pledge to reform our immigration system and create a pathway to citizenship for all immigrants, so that every family in the United States, no matter where they come from, can experience the American Dream.
I’m running because it’s not about the politicians or special interest groups. It’s about us.
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am running because I believe that the time has come for a middle‐class person to represent the middle‐class in our district. For too long, we have been stuck with politicians who don’t understand what everyday life is like for voters in our district, and the problems that people face. I’m also running because our current Representative does not focus on the needs and issues of disenfranchised communities. We have a lot of people from diverse backgrounds in our district, particularly Mexican‐American and Arab‐American folks. Dan Lipinski has ignored immigrant communities, and he has actively undermined the rights of women and LGBT people. All of this needs to stop.
What is your vision for this office?
I would be a Representative who fights for the rights of all people. I’m a humanitarian, not a politician, and my approach to the office would be to always put people’s needs first.
What do you think is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
I believe the most pressing issue facing our district and its constituents is that our Representative does not care about working to better the lives of all people. When we have Representatives that only care about appeasing special interests and the wealthy and well‐connected, the rest of us get left behind.
