Bush beaten in primary after onslaught of pro-Israel spending

Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri on Tuesday became the second member of the progressive “Squad” to lose her seat in the House after a bitter Democratic primary with St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell that drew $15.6 million in outside spending.

Bell had 51 percent of the vote to Bush’s 46 percent at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time when The Associated Press called the race. The results are another setback for the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, following New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s loss in June to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate with deep local ties.

Bush, a nurse and pastor, was active in the racial justice movement in Ferguson, Mo., following the killing of a Black teenager, Michael Brown Jr., by a police officer in 2014. Six years later, she notched an upset win over longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay.

Bell is a liberal prosecutor who has worked to overhaul the criminal justice system and overturn wrongful convictions.