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Aug 12, 2024 Story by: Editor
Prominent progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush has lost her Democratic primary in St. Louis following significant financial backing from pro-Israel groups that opposed her stance on the Gaza genocide. St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell emerged victorious, securing about 51% of the vote, while Bush garnered around 46%.
Bell’s victory represents a significant win for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), marking the second such success after the group played a key role in defeating New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman, another progressive Democrat critical of Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza. AIPAC invested $8.5 million in Missouri’s first congressional district race, supporting Bell through its campaign financing arm, the United Democracy Project (UDP). Bush had drawn the ire of some pro-Israel factions by being one of the earliest members of Congress to call for a ceasefire.
The UDP, funded largely by billionaires who also back pro-Israel causes and Republican candidates, targeted Bush throughout the campaign. Despite her condemnation of Hamas for the deaths of 1,139 individuals, mostly Israelis, and the abduction of hundreds of others, Bush angered certain Jewish and pro-Israel groups by labeling Israel’s subsequent actions in Gaza as “collective punishment against Palestinians” and a war crime.
The UDP campaign bombarded St. Louis with advertisements criticizing Bush, focusing less on her stance on the Israel war on Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, and more on her voting record, including her opposition to President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill in 2021 and her support for the “defund the police” movement. Bush’s attempts to counter the UDP’s portrayal of her record faced challenges.
The UDP’s contributions represented over half of the total spending in the race outside of the official campaign budgets.
Although Bell denies being encouraged by pro-Israel groups to run against Bush, questions lingered after he shifted from a Senate race to the congressional race, especially after Jewish organizations in St. Louis sought a candidate to challenge Bush, accusing her of “intentionally fueling antisemitism.”
Bell is expected to secure the congressional seat in the upcoming general election, as it is considered a safe Democratic district. Source: The Guardian
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