Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the Progressive Squad, appears poised to lose her reelection bid, making her the second member of the far-left group to lose her seat this year.
The controversial Democrat faced a closely contested race against a a more moderate rival who criticized Bush for his support of protests and pro-Gaza causes.
With 51 percent of the votes counted, Bush was trailing rival Wesley Bell by 54 to 42 percent. Election forecasting firm Decision Desk HQ has predicted that Bush will lose the race.
His rival, St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell, has yet to declare victory and the Associated Press has yet to call the outcome of the race.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., also lost his primary to a more moderate Democrat earlier this summer.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., a member of the progressive “Squad” and a former Black Lives Matter organizer, fell six points behind her Democratic primary opponent, Wesley Bell, in a poll released just a week before the scheduled election. She is now the second member of the “Squad” to lose her primary this year.
A shocking poll last week showed the Bush campaign trailing by a whopping six points with seven days to go until Tuesday’s election.
The Mellman Group on behalf of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC released a poll showing Bush’s rival, St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell, ahead of her 48 percent to 42 percent.
Like Bush’s race against Bell, Bowman’s race in New York revolved around one key issue: the war between Israel and Hamas.
Bowman, a fellow staffer (at least for now, before leaving Congress this winter), fiercely defended the Palestinians and condemned Israel’s actions as “genocide.”
His reward for repeatedly attacking the Jewish nation’s wartime conduct: a pro-Israel SuperPAC that hounds him.
AIPAC, a pro-Israel political group, spent heavily against Bowman, pouring millions and millions into the campaign of a local county executive.
With the group’s support, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate Democrat, cruised to an easy victory in the primary, garnering more than 59 percent of the vote, compared to Bowman’s 40 percent.
Meanwhile, in Missouri, Bell has taken a much more moderate tone regarding the war between Israel and Hamas, while Bush has strongly advocated pro-Gaza policies and drawn support from anti-Israel protesters, a difference that is expected to have an impact on the race.
St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell delivers a speech at the inauguration of Ferguson mayor. He has beaten Bush in consecutive Mellman Group polls, possibly indicating he could unseat the incumbent mayor.
And AIPAC is clearly seeking to replicate its move against Bowman to force Bush out of office.
“AIPAC’s rank-and-file members are proud to support strong, pro-Israel progressive Democrats like Wesley Bell,” AIPAC wrote in a recent statement.
‘Cori Bush has been one of the most hostile critics of Israel since coming to Congress in 2021 and has actively worked to undermine widespread Democratic support for the US-Israel relationship.’
In the spring, Bush even organized a rally for anti-Israel protesters who were ejected by George Washington University police for occupying campus property for a week in a camp.
She and fellow squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib celebrated the students’ heroism at a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol.
Most recently, Bush did not attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress last week.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., joined by students from George Washington University, speak during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Washington, after police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at George Washington University early Wednesday and arrested protesters.
(L-R) U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., hold signs reading “Stop Sending Bombs” and “Enduring Ceasefire Now” as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, March 7, 2024.
Bell has struck a much more moderate tone than Bush on the war between Israel and Hamas, an issue that proved damning for Jamaal Bowman, who critics say lost his race in part because of his strong support for Gaza and condemnations of Israel.
The prosecutor has been trailing Bush in recent polls for months, showing the former Black Lives Matter organizer consistently behind him.
The poll, which was conducted July 21-24 among 400 voters in the district, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9%.
The bad news for Bush is that this poll marks a significant improvement over his opponent Bell.
In June, a poll by the same group found him leading the current president by a narrow margin of one point, 43 percent to Bush’s 42 percent.
In addition to Bush and Bowman, Squad founding member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., also faces a tough challenger in the Democratic primary whom she narrowly beat in 2022.
The Democratic primary between Bush and Bell is scheduled for August 6.
