Aug 6, 2024 - Politics & Policy

"Squad" Rep. Cori Bush loses her Democratic primary

Andrew Solender

Rep. Cori Bush in a white hallway. — Rep. Cori Bush at the U.S. Capitol on May 31, 2024. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a prominent member of the progressive "Squad," was defeated in her Democratic primary on Tuesday by local prosecutor Wesley Bell, according to the AP.

Why it matters: Bush is the second member of the "Squad" to lose a primary this cycle, after Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) was defeated in June.

State of play: Bush, one of Congress' most vocal Israel critics, was targeted by nearly $9 million in ad spending from United Democracy Project, the political arm of pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.

She was weakened by news in January of multiple federal investigations into her campaign finances related to her paying her husband as part of her security team.
Bell, the prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County, mainly focused on the investigations into Bush and her votes against the bipartisan infrastructure bill, accusing her of being disloyal to President Biden.

By the numbers: With more than $18 million spent on ads by the two sides, the primary was one of the most expensive in U.S. history.

Much of that spending was AIPAC, plus $3 million from Bell's campaign and another $1.5 million from Fairshake, a pro-crypto PAC supporting Bell.
Bush's campaign spent $1 million on ads, backed up by $2.2 million from the progressive Justice Democrats.

What's next: The St. Louis-based district is heavily Democratic, meaning Bell is almost certain to be elected to the 119th Congress in November.

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"Squad" Rep. Cori Bush loses her Democratic primary

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