Former Squad Member Bush Seeks House Comeback in Missouri Primary Against Incumbent Bell

Cori Bush, the outspoken former representative who served in Congress as part of the progressive “Squad,” is mounting a campaign to regain her seat in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. Bush lost her position to Democratic incumbent Wesley Bell in November 2024, setting up a rematch that reflects deepening divisions within the national Democratic Party.

Missouri voters head to the polls this Tuesday in a primary contest centered largely on foreign policy and party ideology. Bush has mounted an aggressive campaign against Bell, criticizing his support for Israel and his ties to pro-Israel advocacy groups, particularly the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC.

In campaign advertisements released this week, Bush assailed Bell for traveling to Israel on a trip funded by donors while the St. Louis area dealt with tornado damage that caused $1.6 billion in destruction and claimed multiple lives in May 2025. “When the disaster caused $1.6 billion in damages and took several lives, Wesley responded by hopping on a flight to Israel funded by Trump’s donors less than 90 days later,” Bush stated on social media.

Bell’s campaign countered the criticism by pointing to his response to the tornado disaster, citing work with the congressional delegation to secure over $200 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency relief funds. A constituent featured in Bell’s advertising dismissed Bush’s attacks as political maneuvering while praising Bell’s tornado response and opposition to former President Donald Trump.

The rematch underscores a significant fault line in Democratic politics that has widened since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Bush, a two-term congresswoman and Democratic Socialists of America member, has consistently opposed Israeli military operations and voted against emergency funding for the nation.

Bell represents a more establishment-oriented Democratic approach to Middle East policy. The former county prosecutor narrowly defeated Bush in 2024, an outcome Bush attributed to hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by pro-Israel groups and affiliated organizations from outside the district.

The Missouri race is part of a broader pattern of Democratic Socialist candidates challenging traditional party leadership across multiple states. DSA-backed candidates are currently competing in gubernatorial races in Wisconsin and a Senate contest in Michigan, while successfully defeating House Democratic incumbents in New York and Colorado.