Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) won’t be returning to Congress next year after she lost her 1st District Democratic primary to Wesley Bell.
Bell won handily, topping Bush 51.2%-45.6%.
Bush, one of the most progressive members in the House, joins Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) as the second Squad member to fall to a primary challenger this year. It’s a major blow to the group of progressives who swept into power in recent years vowing to shake up the Democratic Party.
Bell ran as a progressive prosecutor — he serves as the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney — who would fight for constituents and avoid the drama that surrounded Bush’s time in office.
Most notably, Bush is under FBI investigation for allegedly misusing campaign funds. Bush has denied any wrongdoing surrounding the employment of her husband for security purposes.
Plus, Bush’s stringent anti-Israel views attracted the attention of AIPAC’s super PAC. United Democracy Project made Bush’s race a top priority and spent more than $9 million to defeat the incumbent.
House Democratic leadership endorsed Bush and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark even stumped for Bush in the race’s closing days. But it wasn’t enough to stave off Bush’s defeat.
Washington: In Washington’s 4th District, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) appears to be in a tough spot. Newhouse looks poised to advance to the general election along with fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler, who’s backed by former President Donald Trump.
But with more than half the votes counted, Sessler is running ahead of Newhouse. And another Trump-endorsed Republican, Tiffany Smiley, also notched roughly 20% of the vote and is in third.
So with a significant number of Republicans voting against Newhouse in the primary, the general election may be an uphill battle. Remember: Newhouse voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 attack.
Michigan: As expected, Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will face off against former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) in the state’s blockbuster Senate race. Both Slotkin and Rogers easily dispatched primary opponents.
In the state’s 8th District, Democrat Kristen McDonald Rivet appears poised to take on unsuccessful 2022 Republican candidate Paul Junge in the election to fill retiring Rep. Dan Kildee’s (D-Mich.) seat.
In the 7th District race to fill Slotkin’s seat, Democrat Curtis Hertel will face Republican Tom Barrett. Both the 7th and 8th districts are key toss-up campaigns in the battle for the House.
