St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated Congresswoman Cori Bush on Tuesday, capping off an expensive and contentious campaign that ended the two-term lawmaker’s tenure in the U.S. House. Bell captured 51% of the vote, compared to 45% for Bush and 2.6% for former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal. Since the St. Louis and St. Louis County-based 1st District is heavily Democratic, Bell will be heavily favored to win in November, NPR reports. “This district is ready for better and more accountable representation in Washington, D.C.,” Bell said at a victory celebration in St. Louis. “Progressives should actually make progress. And that’s what I’ve done my entire career.” Bell’s victory is a win for pro-Israel groups who spent millions of dollars to boost his candidacy because of Bush’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. It’s a loss for the St. Louis progressive movement that’s gained power in recent years. And it’s the second time a member of “the Squad” has lost reelection, after New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman lost to George Latimer in June. “I try to stay away from the labels because I think that's part of the problem that leads to the political gridlock in our government now, which results in nothing getting done,” said Bell, when asked what it meant to defeat another member of “the Squad.”
The victory caps off a tumultuous 2024 election cycle for Bell. Last year, Bell announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, joining a field that ultimately included Independence attorney Lucas Kunce and state Sen. Karla May. Despite having high name recognition in the St. Louis area, Bell struggled to match Kunce’s fundraising and also failed to consolidate support among Black elected officials who endorsed either Kunce or May. But Bell’s political trajectory changed after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel. Bush condemned Hamas but also called for an end to the U.S. government’s support for “Israel’s military occupation and apartheid.” She also said she wouldn’t be silent over “Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign” after the country launched a military offensive in Gaza. Those comments provoked outrage both locally and nationally from Jewish groups. And Bell cited Bush’s criticism of Israel as one of the reasons he chose to end his U.S. Senate campaign and instead run against Bush. But he also contended that Bush wasn’t effective, and promised to be more collaborative in order to bring more money to the St. Louis region.
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