Rep. Cori Bush loses Missouri primary, becoming second ‘Squad’ member defeated by fellow Democrat

Rep. Cori Bush became the second member of “The Squad” to be defeated after the progressive firebrand lost the Democratic primary Tuesday night in her bid for a third term.

Ms. Bush, who represents Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, lost to St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, a well-funded challenger backed up by pro-Israel super PACs that booted another Squad member, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, in the New York Democratic primary.

The New York Times and the Associated Press called the race shortly before 11 p.m., with 94% of the vote counted and Mr. Bell leading by 51% to 46%.

According to federal financial records, Ms. Bush raised $2.9 million for her reelection campaign, but Mr. Bell outraised her with $4.7 million from contributors.

The United Democracy Project, the PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC), independently spent more than $8.4 million to defeat Ms. Bush.

Pro-Israel group immediately took to social media to celebrate.

“Congratulations to pro-Israel progressive leader Wesley Bell on your big win against anti-Israel Squad member Rep. Cori Bush!” AIPAC said in a statement on X.

“AIPAC and our 4.5 million grassroots members are proud to stand with Wesley Bell! Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!” the pro-Israel advocacy organization added.

Democratic Majority For Israel PAC Chairman Mark Mellman posted similarly.

“Wesley Bell’s victory and Cori Bush’s defeat underscore what we’ve seen in races across the country and throughout this election cycle — being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also smart politics,” he said.  

The 1st District is overwhelmingly Democratic and Mr. Bell will be heavily favored in November.

Ms. Bush and Mr. Bowman join a growing number of progressive incumbents and challengers who were defeated by more moderate members of their party in the last two cycles, including outgoing Reps. Marie Newman of Illinois, Jamie McLeod-Skinner of Oregon, Oregon congressional candidate Susheela Jayapal, Ohio congressional candidate Nina Turner and former Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan.

An outspoken critic of Israel’s war against Hamas after its Oct. 7 terrorist attack on the Jewish state, Ms. Bush has accused Israel of an “ethnic cleansing campaign.”

She has faced political campaign struggles throughout the cycle.

This included criticism from Democratic leaders in her district for not voting for the White House-backed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that spent $429 million on Missouri water infrastructure projects. Ms. Bush said the law did not include specific measures she wanted such as subsidized child care.

She is also under federal investigation for using campaign funds to hire her husband to provide her security. She has denied wrongdoing.

Ms. Bush first became well-known as a defund-the-police activist during the 2014 Ferguson riots.

Four years later she used her name to launch a congressional primary campaign to oust veteran Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay.

Mr. Bell, however, was also on the streets of Ferguson with protesters after the deadly confrontation between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, an unarmed Black man.

He facilitated talks between protesters and police in 2014 and was later elected to the Ferguson City Council. The young Black prosecutor early on distinguished his position on Israel from Ms. Bush.

“I think we have to stand with our allies, and Israel has always been an ally, but we always want to keep the door open for a two-state solution,” he said, when he launched his campaign for Congress. “But we cannot give aid and comfort to terrorist organizations, and Hamas is a terrorist organization, and Israel has the right to defend themselves.”

Pro-Palestinian American Jewish organizations, such as IfNotNow have rallied behind Ms. Bush and her fellow Squad members.

Ms. Bush called on her supporters to “reject AIPAC and defeat far-right extremism in the U.S. and across the world.”

Justice Democrats, which is part of a progressive coalition called Reject AIPAC, spent about $1.5 million this cycle to support Ms. Bush.

Despite Ms. Bush’s loss on Tuesday, the progressive faction of the Democratic Party is not deterred.

They expect to have a better result when Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota faces off against Don Samuels in the Democratic primary on Aug. 13.

And earlier Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee, tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate, going with a progressive governor over the more moderate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.