Democrats vote out another progressive as Harris, Walz seek to move party to the left

Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri is the latest “Squad” member to lose her seat, continuing a string of losses for progressives even as Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate Tim Walz aim to take the party leftward. 

Ms. Bush, a progressive firebrand representing Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, attempted to capture a third term this election cycle but was foiled by St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell, a well-funded opponent. He was backed by the same pro-Israel super PACs that ousted Squad member Rep. Jamaal Bowman in the New York Democratic primary.

Ms. Bush and Mr. Bowman join a growing number of progressive incumbents and challengers who have been defeated by more moderate party members in the last two cycles.

Moderate Democrats have defeated Reps. Marie Newman of Illinois; Jamie McLeod-Skinner of Oregon; Oregon congressional candidate Susheela Jayapal; Portland, Oregon, District Attorney Mike Schmidt; Ohio congressional candidate Nina Turner and former Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan.

Despite her loss, Ms. Bush was defiant toward her detractors who helped Mr. Bell defeat her.

“And let me say this, AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down!” she said Tuesday as her supporters cheered her on. “We will keep supporting a free Palestine, a free Congo, a free Sudan, and keep opposing genocide and human rights abuses worldwide.”

Ms. Bush’s race became one of the most expensive House primaries ever, second only to Mr. Bowman’s failed reelection bid. AIPAC and its allies spent nearly $9 million in super PAC attacks, which accounted for more than 60% of Mr. Bell’s total donations.

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

“Cori Bush is what the future of the Democratic Party looks like. No matter what a singular super PAC can spend to try and buy an election, nothing can take away from the transformational effect Cori Bush has directly had on the people of St. Louis,” said Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats.

“No other member of Congress has slept on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to keep their constituents housed, no other member of Congress has testified in front of Congress in their first term about their own abortion story to demand federal protections for abortion rights,” she said.

Progressive Democrats 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.

The Harris campaign disputes Mr. Walz is as progressive as many say he is, pointing to his record as a military veteran and a lawmaker in Congress who voted with Republicans on key legislation, including legislation that would have prevented the bank bailout after the 2008 financial crisis.

Democrats like Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran political consultant, said Mr. Walz will not hurt the ticket.

“He is nowhere near as left as [Mr.] Bowman and [Ms.] Bush,” he said.

But Jim Pinkerton, a longtime GOP political consultant, said, “Tim Walz was governor of a liberal, even progressive, state during the time of peak ’wokeness.’ There’s abundant evidence — words, speeches, images, and bills signed — that he was on the cutting edge of ’woke’ ideas on transgender, crime, green energy.”

He added, “That made him a hero to the left, and powered his selection as a running mate. But at the same time, the wheel has turned and those policies don’t look so good in a national context—perhaps not even in Minnesota. But it’s too late: As a governor, much more than for Kamala Harris as a senator or as vice president, the buck stops with him.”

Additionally, Ms. Harris, the party’s presidential nominee, tapped Mr. Walz, governor of Minnesota, to be her running mate, going with a progressive over the more moderate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. The move was seen as doubling down on her own progressive credentials. Republicans view Mr. Walz as a “radical” progressive on policies such as benefits for immigrants without documentation and expanding the social safety net via higher taxes.

Ms. Bush found herself inundated with negative broadcast and digital ads related to her position on Israel and other policy and personal issues.

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 certain 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.