Cori Bush loses primary in latest blow to progressive ‘squad’

Rep. Cori Bush (D) lost her primary in Missouri on Tuesday in the latest blow to the progressive “squad” on Capitol Hill, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ.

Bush’s loss to St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell in the 1st Congressional District’s Democratic primary makes her the second member of the group to lose reelection after Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) earlier this year.

The racial justice activist’s failure to secure a third House term came after her race received outsized attention for the amount of money that poured in. Pro-Israel special interest groups spent the most on the race, with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the United Democracy Project (UDP), AIPAC’s super PAC, dropping some $9 million to defeat Bush, who has been critical of Israel’s war against the terrorist organization Hamas.

Ahead of Election Day, Bush’s allies and campaign organizers worried that the amount of cash would be too great for Bush to overcome, prompting an intraparty debate over how grassroots organizing should be handled. Some predicted that a high-profile loss for Bush would make candidates and strategists rethink the playbooks they’ve been using against well-funded opponents. 

That reset may be forthcoming after the results showed Bush will not progress to the November general election. Bell is expected to win the solidly blue seat in the fall.

In addition to criticism surrounding her position on the conflict in the Middle East, Bush also had to contend with the political ramifications of a federal investigation into allegations she used campaign money inappropriately to obtain special House security, which she insists are inaccurate.

Though progressives are likely to be even more anxious about their future in Congress following Tuesday night’s defeat, the results for them this cycle have been mixed. Though Bush and Bowman’s losses put them on notice, other progressives, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), are likely to glide to reelection. And another squad member, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), won her primary earlier this year despite being outspent.

Those mixed results raise question about how progressive incumbents can beat challengers with more money.