Rep. Cori Bush, D-Missouri, became the second member of the informal group of Democrats known as "The Squad" to lose a primary this summer. Bush was defeated on Tuesday by challenger Wesley Bell, who becomes the favorite to win the heavily Democratic St. Louis-area district.
As of early Wednesday, Bell led 51-46 in polling with nearly all of the votes counted.
Bush is the second member of "The Squad" to lose a primary bid after Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost to George Latimer earlier this year.
Bush had earned her seat by ousting an incumbent in the Democratic primary. In 2020, she defeated 10-term Rep. Lacy Clay in a tight Democratic primary. Bush wound up winning the 2020 general election by defeating Anthony Rogers by a 79-19 margin.
She easily won both the primary and general election in her first reelection bid in 2022.
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The two-term member of Congress rose to prominence before 2020 as she took an active role amid the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson, Missouri. She organized protests in the town in the wake of the death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old shot by Ferguson Police on Aug. 9, 2014.
Bell, the St. Louis prosecuting attorney, garnered over $4.1 million in contributions in the race, according to data obtained by Open Secrets. Additionally, the campaign was supported with loads of outside money from pro-Israel groups. According to Open Secrets, more than $7.3 million was spent opposing Bush's reelection, while nearly $5 million was provided to support Bell.
Over $8.5 million in funds came from the United Democracy Project, which strongly opposed Bush's reelection. The group opposed Bush due to her criticism of providing funds for Israel's military. She has said that Israel has committed war crimes in its fight with Hamas, a stance that has angered pro-Israel groups in the U.S.
Israel has been retaliating against Hamas since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack.
The United Democracy Project called Bell's win "further proof that being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics on both sides of the aisle. UDP will continue our efforts to support leaders working to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance while counter detractors in either political party."
Members of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee were responsible for providing over $600,000 for Bell's campaign. The powerful pro-Israel political group had also strongly opposed Bush's reelection bid.
