Cori Bush is reentering the race for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, releasing a campaign video that highlights her St. Louis roots and accuses political opponents of using big money and negative attacks to push her out of Congress earlier this year.
Bush, a past member of the progressive “Squad,” unveiled her campaign in a video and social media post highlighting her roots in St. Louis and pledging to fight for families, community safety, and lower costs. In her announcement, she said, “But because I spoke truth, they pushed back. Attacked my name, my motives, spread lies and hate,” describing the challenges she faced during her 2024 campaign. Her video also included headlines referencing AIPAC and Republican opponents.
Her new campaign comes just two months after she lost a closely watched primary to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, who won with 51 percent of the vote after drawing support from AIPAC. The organization congratulated Bell after his victory, while Bush argued during the race that outside money from pro-Israel groups played a major role in the outcome. Last June, she called AIPAC a “threat to democracy” and accused its donors of trying to buy congressional seats, a message she tied to fellow Squad member Jamaal Bowman’s defeat in New York.
Bush’s criticism of AIPAC follows a series of clashes with the group and its supporters. In February 2024, she and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) came under fire after accusing the organization of exploiting reports of Hamas’s sexual violence during the October 7 attacks in Israel, prompting bipartisan rebukes. Bush herself voted against the “No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act,” which barred participants in the October 7 assault from entering the United States, leaving her and Rep. Rashida Tlaib as the only two members to oppose the measure.
The former congresswoman also drew scrutiny during her time in office over her handling of campaign funds. She has been under federal investigation by the Justice Department for payments to her husband who was compensated for “security services” despite not holding a private security license. Reports also revealed that Bush’s campaign paid thousands to a self-described “spiritual guru” with a history of antisemitic statements. In total, her committee spent more than $770,000 on private security even as she supported the “Defund the Police” movement.
Bush’s career in Congress has been marked by her radical views. She introduced a $14 trillion reparations resolution, labeled black Republican Byron Donalds a “prop” for “white supremacy,” and lamented the execution of a convicted murderer and rapist in Missouri who identified as transgender. She also faced condemnation for confusing Memorial Day with Veterans Day in a social media post, later deleting and correcting it after backlash.
Bush now aims to recapture her seat by presenting herself as a fighter for St. Louis residents who, in her words, will not answer to “wealthy donors.” In her new video, she emphasized that her community is “built different” and vowed to bring that same resilience back to Congress, adding that “all across America, we see our rights rolled back, our history being rewritten, our lives on the line. The stakes for our community here have never been higher.”
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