Another member of the progressive ‘Squad’ group of lawmakers has lost their primary.
St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday (August 6), NBC News projected. Bell received support from the same pro-Israel groups that backed Westchester County Executive George Latimer in his defeat of fellow ‘Squad’ member Jamaal Bowman in the Democratic primary for New York’s 16th Congressional District in June.
Both Bush and Bowman, along with several other ‘Squad’ members, were vocal critics of the Israeli government and the country’s response to Hamas‘ terrorist attack on October 7, 2023. The pro-Israel super PAC United Democracy Project, which is affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent more than $14.8 million on campaign ads bashing Bowman’s record and was reported to have done the same in support of Bell and opposing Bush, according to CBS News.
Fellow ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar, another outspoken critic of the Israeli government, is also facing competition in the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 5th District against multiple challengers including Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who previously placed close second to the incumbent congresswoman in the 2022 Democratic primary, though AIPAC reportedly hasn’t backed Samuels nor any other candidate challenging Omar as of Wednesday (August 7). Bush rose to prominence as a Black Lives Matter activist following the 2014 death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri and campaigned for congress several times before defeating longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay Jr. in the 2020 Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
“One thing I don’t do is go away,” Bush told NBC News over the weekend.
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