Wesley Bell wins Missouri House primary as Cori Bush comeback bid fails

Wesley Bell secured a victory in the Democratic primary for Missouri's 1st congressional district, ending Representative Cori Bush's bid for a return to the House. The race was a rematch of the 2022 primary, where Bell, a former county prosecutor, unseated the progressive socialist Bush.

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Bell unseated Bush, a democratic socialist who opposes aid to the US ally and accuses it of committing a genocide in Gaza, in the Democratic congressional primary two years ago with the help of millions of dollars in spending from pro-Israel groups.

Bell's campaign received significant backing from pro-Israel groups, including the United Democracy Project, a Super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), which reportedly spent around $3 million to support him. Bush, a member of the progressive "Squad," has been a prominent critic of US aid to Israel, accusing the country of committing genocide in Gaza. Bell, while stating he supports Israel, opposes the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

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The district’s heavily Democratic lean makes Bell the favorite to win a second term in the November election.

The primary contest also focused on economic issues and local development in the St. Louis area, which is still recovering from a deadly tornado last year. Bell criticized Bush for voting against President Joe Biden's 2021 infrastructure bill and for remarks she made that appeared to link Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to "fascism." Bush defended her vote on the infrastructure bill, stating it lacked sufficient spending on social services, and claimed her comments were taken out of context.

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The United Democracy Project, a Super Pac aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), poured about $3m into helping Bell’s campaign against Bush, who served terms in the House of Representatives after being elected in 2020 and was a member of “the Squad” of progressive lawmakers of color.

Bush, in turn, accused Bell of having his seat "bought" by Aipac. Despite the challenges, Bell's win in the heavily Democratic district positions him as the favorite to win a second term in the November general election. His victory blunts the momentum seen from pro-Palestinian candidates in recent elections.

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On the campaign trail, Bell, a former county prosecutor, criticized Bush for voting against Joe Biden’s 2021 infrastructure bill, and for a comment in which she appeared to link both Biden and Kamala Harris to “fascism”.