‘Squad’ member Cori Bush will lose Democratic primary in Missouri, CNN projects

Missouri Rep. Cori Bush will lose an expensive Democratic primary to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, CNN projects, securing another win for the same pro-Israel groups that helped oust New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman six weeks ago.

Missouri Rep. Cori Bush will lose her Democratic primary to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, CNN projects, securing another win for the same pro-Israel groups that helped oust New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman six weeks ago. Bush, a member of the House “squad” of progressive lawmakers like Bowman, was already earmarked for a tough primary in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District – which ended up being the second-most expensive primary of the cycle, behind only Bowman’s race in New York. Her fierce advocacy for a ceasefire in Gaza added fuel to opponents’ fire. And in similar fashion to Bowman, Bush – despite the backing of progressive groups, local leaders and top congressional Democrats – was unable to fend off Bell, who, like Bush, rose to prominence during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, a decade ago following the police killing of unarmed Black teenager Michael Brown. With his victory Tuesday, Bell will be heavily favored in the general election for the solid blue St. Louis-area seat. His win also marks the second time in three cycles that a challenger has unseated the incumbent in the 1st District Democratic primary – Bush defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay in the 2020 contest. Bell first entered elective politics in 2015, when he won a seat on the Ferguson City Council. Three years later, he was the first Black St. Louis County prosecutor, unseating longtime incumbent Robert McCulloch. “What we had, that he did not have, was the power of people,” Bell told supporters that night in 2018.