Senator Michael F. Rush Democrat - Norfolk and Suffolk

SENATOR MIKE RUSH proudly serves the citizens of the Massachusetts Norfolk & Suffolk District, which includes the City of Boston neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Readville, Roslindale, and West Roxbury and the towns of Dedham, Norwood, Walpole and Westwood in Norfolk County. Prior to being elected to the Senate in 2010, Senator Rush served as a member of the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2010 representing the people of the 10th Suffolk District. In the House, he served as a member of the following Joint Legislative Committees: Revenue, Veterans & Federal Affairs, Judiciary, Natural Resources & Environment, Public Service, Labor & Workforce Development and the House Committee on Ways & Means. Representative Rush served as the Historian of the House of Representatives and was appointed by the Speaker as House Chairman of the Special Joint Committee to celebrate the 375th Anniversary of the Legislature. In the House, Representative Rush was elected by his Legislative Colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Boston Legislative Delegation. As Chairman, Rush worked as a liaison between Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the legislative leadership at the State House.

Currently, Senator Rush serves as Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Committee on Personnel & Administration and Vice Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Veterans and Federal Affairs. He is a Member of the Senate Committee on Ways & Means, Joint Committee on Ways & Means, Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight. He has previously served on the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies, Joint Committee on Transportation, Joint Committee on Higher Education and the Joint Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.

Senator Rush is an Iraq War Veteran and a Commander in the United States Navy where for twenty eight years he has served in the Reserves following active duty boot camp. Commander Rush is currently assigned to the Office of Naval Intelligence as an Intelligence Officer. Prior to serving as a commissioned officer, he worked on peacetime construction projects as an enlisted sailor with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 27—better known as the “Seabees”. While serving in the Legislature, Lieutenant Rush was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn. While in Iraq, he served with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP) and was assigned to a U.S. Army Special Forces Military Transition Team working with Iraq Counter-Terrorism Services, the Headquarters Command for Iraq Special Operation Forces (ISOF). As part of the Military Transition Team, Lieutenant Rush worked to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Forces.

Senator Rush holds a Juris Doctor from Southern New England School of Law and holds both a Master of Arts Degree with distinction in United States History and a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a double major in History and Political Science from Providence College. He is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the International Honor Society for Historians. As the Chairman and founder of the Legislative Parks Caucus, Senator Rush has worked tirelessly to make Massachusetts number one in the country for having a world-class state parks system. He continues to work closely with colleagues to ensure that adequate funding is secured to protect, clean, and maintain our state park land. Senator Rush is the recipient of the Boston Police Emerald Society’s Man of the Year Award, the Massachusetts Marine Corps League Semper Fidelis, the Massachusetts Veterans’ Service Officers Association 2012 Veterans’ Appreciation Award for his commitment, service, and sacrifice for the United States and Massachusetts veterans. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and an Eagle Scout.

Senator Rush is a second generation Irish American. His paternal grandparents immigrated from Ireland and his maternal grandparents, Thomas and Agnes Hines Meagher, were natives of South Boston. Senator Rush is the son of Virginia and the late James Rush of West Roxbury. Prior to his election to the Legislature, Senator Rush was a history teacher at Catholic Memorial High School, his alma mater and Newman Prep. He is a lifelong resident of Boston’s Neighborhood of West Roxbury where he and his wife Mary, along with their children Ciara, James, and Declan currently live.