It was one of the most closely watched U.S. House races of the 2024 primary season: Second-term Democratic Congresswoman and “Squad” member Cori Bush faced a earnest fight for her seat in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. St. Louis County Attorney Wesley Bell – himself a progressive – raised more money than Bush and was ahead in most polls before Election Day.
Now the race has been decided and Bell has been declared the winner. With 52 percent of the votes cast, Bell is 12 percentage points ahead of Bush. This was already apparent before Tuesday’s results.
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She could be on the verge of defeat
One of the key factors in the race (aside from Bush’s penchant for sensationalism) was her advocacy of a progressive anti-Israel stance following the horrific Hamas attack on October 7. As I noted when Bell announced his entry into the race:
Just on Sunday, Bush showed how badly she needs a dictionary when she accused Israel of an “ethnic cleansing campaign.” In tiny, she is ripe for a challenge in the primaries by a more reasonable, more competent candidate, and that is certainly the case with Bell, despite his progressive leanings.
In addition, Bush was recognized for her Attitude towards the Israel-Hamas conflictto which Bell offers a welcome contrast.
This time, Bush would have to face not only local criticism for what some call anti-Israel rather than pro-Palestinian policies.
The powerful American-Israel Committee for Public Affairs – a well-funded lobby group known for directing funds against candidates it sees as unfriendly to Israeli interests – has publicly criticized Bush for her recent stance toward Israel.
Bush’s district includes several communities with gigantic Jewish populations, including University City, Creve Coeur, Olivette and part of Clayton.
Bell sharply criticized Bush’s attitude toward Israel on Monday: “We cannot provide aid or support to terrorists, and Hamas is a terrorist organization.”
This is not to label Bell as a moderate, but given that the 1st District is overwhelmingly Democratic (Bush beat her Republican challenger by nearly 50 points in 2022 and nearly 60 points in 2020), Bell is likely to be seen as a viable alternative to Bush.
Again, Bell should not be mistaken for a moderate. However, he is reasonable and competent and will almost certainly be a better representative of Missouri’s 1st Congressional District than Bush.
And soon, Bush will join her squad colleague Jamaal Bowman in the Congressional Alumni Club.
Update – 11:20 p.m. Eastern Time:
With 95 percent of the votes counted, the race has become somewhat closer, but Bell still has a solid lead of around 5.5 points.
