Rep. Cori Bush faces tough primary bid on Tuesday, opponent backed by pro-Israel groups
Representative Cori Bush, D-Missouri, rode into office in 2018 on a wave with other progressive women known as “the Squad.” But in this primary election on Tuesday, this incumbent is facing severe backlash for being an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and the war on Gaza, combined with multiple federal investigations into her campaign finances.
Bush’s opponent, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, paints the two-term congresswoman as a problem for the Democrats for being a party agitator. He’s also well-funded by pro-Israel groups who’ve made Bush’s removal from office a priority.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has made it known that it will support Democratic opponents running in primaries against House members who have vocally criticized Israel’s conflict in Gaza.
Outside groups have already spent over $15 million in this race, reports The Washington Post, with more than 80 percent of that money going toward ads opposing Bush.The two-term congresswoman was the first member of Congress to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, nine days after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Bush has also described Israel’s attacks on Gaza as a genocide - an accusation that Israel has strongly denied with its allies and the United Nations.Justice Democrats, a PAC that criticizes U.S. aid to Israel, has already raised close to $100,000 for Bush this cycle through direct donations—a drop in the proverbial bucket compared to the influx of cash for Wesley. “Expect a pretty wide coalition on the independent expenditure side” with a “multi-million dollar coordinated effort,” spokesperson Usamah Andrabi told USA TODAY in June.
Who is ‘The Squad’?
Her fellow “Squad” members are facing similar targeting for their pro-Palestine rhetoric following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and their retaliation campaign. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., lost his primary in June to a pro-Israel centrist backed by the same PAC.
Current “Squad” members in the 118th session of Congress:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, NY-14
Ilhan Omar, MN-5
Ayanna Pressley, MA-7
Rashida Tlaib, MI-12
Jamaal Bowman, NY-16
Cori Bush, MO-1
Greg Casar, TX-35
Summer Lee, PA-12
Delia Ramirez, IL-3
USA TODAY reporters who contributed to this story: N’dea Yancy-Bragg, William Cummings, Kinsey Crowley, Riley Beggin, Erin Mansfield, Phillip M. Bailey and Karissa Waddick
This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Rep. Cori Bush primary competitive, opponent backed by pro-Israel PAC
