Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the hyper-woke leftist Missouri ‘Squad,’ already facing terrible poll numbers, now faces a campaign finance crisis as she fights for her political life.
Bush, 47, trails rival Wesley Bell by a staggering 22 points in a recent poll by Republican Party firm Remington Research ahead of the Aug. 6 primary, as she faces a Justice Department investigation for hiring her husband as a bodyguard.
It has now been revealed that Bell, who has criticized Bush in particular for his anti-Israel views, is also beating her at the fundraising game.
Bell, a St. Louis County prosecutor, ended the fourth quarter with $408,000 in his campaign coffers.
Bush, on the other hand, started 2024 with just $215,000 and is reportedly tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
Rep. Cori Bush, a member of Missouri’s left-wing ‘Squad’, already facing terrible poll numbers, now faces a campaign finance crisis as she fights for her political life.
Prosecutor Wesley Bell would defeat Bush in the Democratic primary if it were held today, according to a poll last week
Bell’s campaign raised $492,000 from October to the end of December, according to recent federal filings. Donors include LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who maxed out with a $6,000 donation.
Bush, on the other hand, had $130,000 in campaign debt and only $20,000 in cash on hand at the end of September, according to riverside times. Its fourth-quarter fundraising numbers have not yet been made public.
Her luck has faded since she was hit by a federal investigation last month over allegations she misappropriated taxpayer funds to employ her husband as her private security guard.
The former nurse and BLM activist has also seen her support drop over controversial comments about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including voting against banning Hamas terrorists involved in the October 7 attacks from entering the United States.
Last week’s poll sampled just 401 likely Democratic voters in the upcoming primary, but found a wide gap in support for Bush compared to Bell.
Bell, a St. Louis County prosecutor, recorded 50 percent support among respondents, while Bush had 28 percent.
He had previously faced his own accusations of wasting $30,000 in taxpayer funds.
This included spending $816 on dinner at a Miami steakhouse and spending $8,000 on new office furniture after taking office, including a new espresso machine, reports the St. Louis Post Office.
Bush entered 2024 with just $215,000 and is reportedly tens of thousands of dollars in debt.
The former nurse and BLM activist has also seen her support drop over controversial comments about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, including voting against banning Hamas terrorists involved in the 9/7 attacks from entering the US. October.
Bell, the St. Louis County prosecutor, ended the fourth quarter with $408,000 in his campaign coffers.
The only other candidate in the Democratic primary, former state House Rep. Maria Chapelle Nadal, clocked in at four percent. The survey had a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
The Democratic primary is essentially considered the race to win the congressional seat, as the district is solidly Democratic and a Republican has not held the office since 1949.
Congresswoman Bush could not be reached for comment and does not appear to have a press contact on her website.
The grim poll came after Bush faced severe backlash in recent months following the federal investigation, which he quickly blamed on “right-wing organizations.”
Bush rose to prominence during the 2020 BLM protests and strongly supported the ‘Defund the Police’ movement, despite spending more than $750,000 on private security since she was elected that year, sparking accusations of hypocrisy.
Last month, the Department of Justice subpoenaed the congresswoman for a history of misusing funds for this private security, after she hired her husband Cortney Merritt as her bodyguard.
Bush had previously met her husband after he was hired for her security following her election, and they married in a private ceremony in early 2023.
While hiring family members is frowned upon, it is not illegal. It would only be illegal if Push paid his now-spouse “fair market value.”
Bush and Merritts are seen here with President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, during a Christmas party at the White House.
Cori Bush and her now-husband Cortney Merritts together at the 2020 inauguration. They married in 2023
In 2022, he was on the payroll of his re-election campaign, and the investigation follows an ethics watchdog demanding an investigation into the $62,000 he paid Merritts with his campaign funds.
It also emerged that Merritts was paid as Bush’s security guard despite not having a license, which is required by the St. Louis Police Department, according to a Fox News report.
Merritts also reportedly did not have a security license in Washington, DC.
When confronted by the media after news of the federal investigation broke, Bush insisted that she was not the subject of the investigation and scolded reporters for asking the question.
Facing critics who called his staggering security spending hypocritical given his stance on police funding for the rest of his constituents, Bush argued it was a necessity because of threats to his security.
“Since before I took office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and my life,” he told reporters on the steps of the House of Representatives after the investigation was announced.
He added that as a “ranking member of Congress” he has no right to personal protection.
Bush (center right) along with her husband Merritts (right) and fellow ‘Squad’ member Rep. AOC (center left) and AOC’s fiancé (left)
Instead, she claims she has used campaign funds to hire security services, including her husband, who she says has “extensive” experience in the field.
‘I have not used any federal tax money for personal security services. Any report that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false,’ he insisted.
Months before the investigation was launched, Bush also drew the ire of critics after voting against a measure to ban Hamas terrorists involved in the Oct. 7 attacks from entering the United States.
Bush, who was joined in voting against his colleague Rashida Tlaib, called the measure “redundant” and argued that it was designed to incite hatred.
“I opposed HR 6679 because it is a redundant and empty bill that Republicans are using to attack immigrants and incite anti-Palestinian hatred,” she tweeted.
“Republicans have ZERO credibility on these issues.”
Despite opposition from the two progressive lawmakers, the bill easily passed the House with a vote of 422 to 2.