Squad member Rep. Cori Bush lost her Democratic primary election in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District to prosecutor Wesley Bell.
Bell was supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), with Rep. Bush being vocal in criticizing Israel during her time in Congress.
What she’s saying: Bush said in her concession speech that the loss removed the “strings” of her office and emboldened her.
- “All you did was take some of the strings off,” Bush said. “All they did was radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid.”
- Bush added, “They about to see this other Cori, this other side. AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.”
Driving the news: Bell, an elected lead prosecutor in St. Louis County, became Bush’s primary opponent in what was the second most expensive House primary in history, with over $8 million in spending from United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC.
- Outside spending in the St. Louis-based district amplified Bush’s vulnerabilities, including a federal investigation into her campaign spending on security services and a voting record that alienated some local allies.
- Bell, who campaigned as a progressive, had previously abandoned a planned campaign for Senate to run against Bush and knocked her legislative record over the last two terms in Congress. He highlighted her missed votes and her vote against the bipartisan infrastructure law in 2021.
- Although Bush had the backing of the Squad-supporting Justice Democrats and spent nearly $2 million on ads, she was unable to match the amount of outside spending from United Democracy Project.
