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

Wesley Bell wins in St Louis rematch dominated by Israel-Palestine issue

The Democratic congressman Wesley Bell won his primary in the St Louis area on Tuesday, ending the progressive former representative Cori Bush’s bid for a comeback and blunting the momentum pro-Palestinian candidates have shown in recent elections.

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. Their rematch this year came amid a spate of primary defeats of Democratic incumbents at the hands of progressive outsiders.

On Tuesday, according to the Associated Press, Bell prevailed in the heavily Democratic district, making him the favorite to win a second term in the November election.

“St Louis is up against a president that is coming after our healthcare, our due process, and the paychecks of working families,” he said, vowing to “keep standing up to this reckless and cruel administration every single day”.

Amid a wave of anti-establishment sentiment, Bell’s victory bucks the trend, notching a win for moderate and pro-Israel Democrats.

“Tonight’s result is another clear victory for Democrats who are focused on delivering results,” New Democrat Majority, a political action committee (Pac) that supports the centrist New Democrat Coalition, which invested $1m in the contest to defeat Bush. “Wesley Bell is focused on fighting to deliver for Missouri families, not fighting his own party.”

Bush was first elected to the House in 2020 and served two terms as a member of “the Squad” of progressive lawmakers of color. The former congresswoman had sought to make the race a referendum on Bell’s support for US aid to Israel, working to channel progressive fury over pro-Israel spending on her opponent’s behalf.

The United Democracy Project, a Super Pac aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), poured about $3m into helping Bell’s campaign overwhelm Bush on the airwaves. In a post on X, Aipac congratulated Bell on his victory.

Bell was also backed by House Democratic leadership and the Congressional Black caucus, while Bush drew support from the Democratic Socialists of America and other progressive groups.

The two candidates had squared off over who would better stand up to Donald Trump and spur growth in the St Louis region, which is managing the aftermath of a deadly tornado last year.

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”. Bush said she opposed the infrastructure bill only because it did not contain spending on social services that Biden had promised, and that her words about the former president and vice-president were taken out of context.

Bush hit back by accusing Bell of having his seat bought for him by Aipac. The congressman has said he is in favor of supporting Israel while opposing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, and insisted that the group’s spending was not dictating his policy positions.