2nd Candidate to challenge Lipinski in March 2020

Rush Darwish declares run for US Congress IL-3 at packed rally in Palos Hills, focuses on grassroots support and taking down Trump

At a Saturday, June 15 rally at Moraine Valley Community College to launch his congressional campaign for the 3rd District of Illinois, small business owner Rush Darwish drew cheers from hundreds of Southwest Side and suburban Chicago supporters during a speech identifying economic inequality, immigrant working-class struggle, and the Trump administration as key areas of focus for improvement. Darwish is the fourth candidate to enter the race for this U.S. Congressional seat.

Pointing out a “gap between the very fortunate and the less fortunate… insured vs. uninsured,” the well known community leader pledged to “build a society that functions for everyone.” Darwish noted that the U.S. spends 18 times more on military than the next leading country and declared his commitment to changing priorities to address the everyday needs of ordinary people.

Darwish took a clear stand in favor of Medicare for all, vowing to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. “I believe your healthcare needs to be treated like the water you drink,” he asserted. “Healthcare is not just a human right, it’s a basic right.”

Rush Darwish takes questions at his campaign kickoff on June 15, 2019 in his bid for the 3rd District Congressional seat. Photo courtesy of Rush Darwish Facebook Page

Recalling his youth as a stockboy in an immigrant family business, the candidate lauded his parents’ concentration on education both as a pathway out of a dangerous neighborhood and as a means to achieving the American Dream. Darwish advocated for increased federal government investment in educational initiatives, vocational training, and financial literacy. He also insisted that teachers be paid a fair wage in an era of monumental student debt.

“Teachers are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, and we’re not training enough new teachers. Over the last decade, while numbers are increasing in other fields, we’ve seen a 23 percent decline in the number of people completing teacher-preparation programs,” stated Darwish, also calling for the elimination of tuition charges at community colleges and pipeline programs to attract new teachers to the profession.

Darwish announced plans to institute a program entitled “20Up” for skilled workers and trade school graduates to be matched with jobs that pay upwards of $20 per hour. He also discussed a job infrastructure program forging partnerships with industry leaders in technology, manufacturing, transportation and construction.

Taking aim at the president, Darwish enumerated that the Trump administration “is anti-science, calls CO2 emissions ‘freedom gas,’ and appoints oil executives to oversee climate policy,” adding that in general, Trump caters to corporations over people.

Darwish also attributed a nationwide air of hostility to the president. “The hate speech is endless. Muslims, Mexicans, refugees are considered criminals by Trump, who calls immigrants ‘killers and rapists and terrorists,’” he recounted. “Our immigration policy needs to be able to act with compassion, while also giving a clear path to citizenship, welcoming the best and brightest from all over the world.”

The incantation “It’s about us!” punctuated the delivery, with Darwish repeatedly promising an end to a political climate dominated by the special interests of politicians at the expense of the underserved.

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Photo Captions

1 – Rush Darwish enters his June 15 campaign launch rally for IL-3 U.S. Congressional seat
2 – Rush Darwish addresses attendees at his IL-3 congressional campaign launch rally in Palos Hills, IL
3 – Crowds stand and cheer at the IL-3 congressional campaign launch rally of candidate Rush Darwish at Moraine Valley Community College June 15, 2019
4 – Candidate Rush Darwish poses with volunteers at a rally to launch his campaign for U.S. Congress, IL-3
5 – Father and child look on as candidate Rush Darwish takes the stage to launch his candidacy for U.S. Congress, IL-3

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Ray Hanania

Ray Hanania is an award-winning opinion columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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