Squad member Cori Bush could lose her congressional seat in a landslide this summer, according to a new poll.
The 47-year-old Missouri congresswoman trails rival Welsey Bell by a staggering 22 points in a new poll by Republican firm Remington Research.
Bush, who is on the ballot in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary, was hit last month by a federal investigation into allegations that she misused 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.
Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush, 47, trails rival Welsey Bell by a staggering 22 points in a new poll.
Prosecutor Wesley Bell would defeat Bush in the Democratic primary if it were held today, new poll finds
The 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.
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 comes after Bush faced harsh 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 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
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.”
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.