Wesley Bell easily fends off Cori Bush’s socialist challenge in Missouri Democratic primary
by George Caldwell · The Washington TimesDemocratic Rep. Wesley Bell ended socialist former Rep. Cori Bush’s comeback bid in a rare rebuke of the party’s rising left wing.
On Tuesday, Mr. Bell easily defeated Ms. Bush in the Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which encompasses St. Louis.
With 99% of the vote counted, the incumbent led by 59% to 37%, and multiple news outlets quickly called the race.
Thanking the district for reelecting him, Mr. Bell said in a victory statement that “two years ago, St. Louis voted for better and more accountable representation. We have kept that promise.”
He pledged to “keep standing up” to the Trump administration.
After losing the primary, Ms. Bush continued to criticize Mr. Bell, expressing bitterness over the ads in the race.
“If somebody has to smear someone else with $5 million worth of lies … then that means that they have no story, they have no vision, they have no values for you,” she said after accusing Mr. Bell of being backed by Republican billionaires.
The primary was one battle in the Democratic Party’s larger fight over its stance on Israel, with the pro-Israel Mr. Bell enjoying the backing of groups that support an alliance with the Jewish state. Ms. Bush is a longtime critic of Israel.
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Ms. Bush’s loss is a rare rejection of the Democratic Party’s far-left flank, as socialists have been on a winning streak against more moderate Democrats in recent primaries.
House leadership stood behind the incumbent, and Mr. Bell touted endorsements from the party’s far-left wing, including Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Democratic Socialists of America.
It was a rematch from when Mr. Bell ousted Ms. Bush in 2024 by just 5 percentage points.
Mr. Bell outraised Ms. Bush by a 3-1 margin, recording almost $3.6 million in total receipts compared with Ms. Bush’s $1.3 million by mid-July. Benefiting from a large war chest, Mr. Bell had argued that Ms. Bush was too unprofessional and divisive.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which advocates for U.S. support of Israel, gave Mr. Bell $2 million as of the end of June, making him the highest recipient of AIPAC cash of any House candidate.
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The United Democracy Project, an AIPAC-affiliated PAC, also backed him with ads that did not mention Israel but accused his opponent of incompetence.
The ads hit Ms. Bush for being unprofessional, missing 235 votes — “more than almost anyone,” they say — and voting against an infrastructure bill that “brought thousands of jobs to St. Louis.”
Other ads credited Mr. Bell with “leading the fight against Donald Trump” in Congress and spearheading a push to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Ms. Bush, however, said the ads actually showed that Mr. Bell could not be trusted.
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“AIPAC is back, and they’re trying to convince you that a congressman who voted to thank ICE and is funded by ICE contractors is a progressive, and that it’s possible to fight Trump when you share the same donors as him,” she said.
The Cook Political Report rates the seat as “solid Democrat,” meaning Mr. Bell is all but guaranteed victory in the general election.
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George Caldwell
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