Another Squad Member Goes Down in Primary

UPDATE Aug 7, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

Another member of Congress' "squad" has been voted out. Rep. Cori Bush lost her primary in Missouri on Tuesday, the Hill reports. Her opponent, St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, had 51.2% of the vote to Bush's 45.6% with 96% of results in. He is expected to win the solidly blue district in November. The defeat came after American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), dropped massive amounts of money into the race to oppose Bush, who has criticized Israel's actions in Gaza.

Aug 6, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

The most expensive House primary ever ended up ousting New York Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman last month, making him the first member of the so-called progressive "Squad" to be voted out of office. At the center of his defeat was his criticism of Israel, which Bowman has accused of committing genocide in Gaza as it tries to defeat Hamas. His loss appeared to be a "warning shot" for other members of Congress' progressive wing, and now, another Squad member is on the hot seat: Missouri Rep. Cori Bush.

CNN reports that the United Democracy Project, the super PAC for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbying group, or AIPAC, has poured almost $9 million into ads slamming Bush, who's running for a third term in her state's 1st Congressional District, or boosting her main primary foe at the moment, Wesley Bell, St. Louis County's prosecuting attorney. Per the AP, that same super PAC funneled nearly $15 million into ads to defeat Bowman. Bush's calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and accusations against Israel of an "ethnic cleansing campaign" have enraged pro-Israel groups. Bell has been more supportive of Israel than Bush, though CNN notes he hasn't made the war a centerpiece of his campaign.

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Politico reports that the ads against Bush haven't even used the word "Israel," instead opting to go after her for things like her vote against President Biden's infrastructure bill. "Kitchen-table economic issues are a bigger deal in St. Louis [than in New York]," a spokesperson for the United Democracy Project tells the outlet. Much more here on the differences (and similarities) between Bush and Bell and what it could mean for her reelection bid, as well as here for some of the racial dynamics at play. (More Election 2024 stories.)