The August 4 Democratic primary in Missouri has become a deeply personal and contentious rematch between incumbent Rep. Wesley Bell, 51, and former Rep. Cori Bush, 50, for a reliably Democratic seat covering St. Louis and its northern suburbs. The contest, which has exposed significant rifts within the party, is heavily influenced by the evolving U.S. relationship with Israel, according to observers and campaign statements.
Both candidates rose to prominence during the Black Lives Matter movement in Ferguson following Michael Brown's fatal shooting by police in 2014. Each has a history of unseating incumbents, with Bell defeating St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch in 2018 and Bush upsetting Rep. Lacy Clay in 2020. However, their current rivalry is marked by bitter character attacks and accusations of misconduct.
Bell stated in an interview, “We've never been friends.” Limited polling data suggests the race is currently a statistical tie. Steven Rodgers, a political science professor at Saint Louis University, noted the rarity of such rematches, especially between candidates with similar congressional experience. He added that while Bell benefits from establishment endorsements and resources, Bush maintains a loyal following.
The rivalry intensified two years ago when Bell abruptly ended his Senate campaign to challenge Bush, shortly after she sharply criticized Israel's military response to the October 7, 2023, terror attacks by Hamas. Bush described Israel's actions as an “ethnic cleansing campaign,” a statement that drew widespread condemnation from many Democrats and pro-Israel organizations.
This backlash significantly boosted Bell's campaign, aided by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which heavily targeted Bush. In their previous encounter, Bell prevailed by approximately six percentage points. Following that defeat, Bush reportedly warned the lobbying group that she would return to “tear your kingdom down,” a sentiment that continues to motivate many of her supporters.
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a progressive PAC endorsing Bush, emphasized the centrality of the Israel-Gaza issue to the race, calling it a growing foreign policy priority within the progressive movement. He described AIPAC as “an albatross around the neck of candidates, from a progressive point of view,” serving as “a marker that this person is not aligned with our values.” This year, at least three House Democratic incumbents with AIPAC support have lost their primaries in New York and Colorado.
Views on Israel have shifted dramatically since the war in Gaza began. An Associated Press-NORC poll released this month found that about 58% of Democrats believe the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel, an increase from 45% two years prior. The survey also indicated that roughly half of Democrats believe Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians, despite denials from the Israeli and U.S. governments.
AIPAC, through its political action committee United Democracy Project, has spent roughly $1.2 million against Bush. Other centrist-aligned groups, such as New Democrat Majority, have contributed an additional $1 million to influence the race. Bush has criticized this outside spending in her ads, suggesting it demonstrates groups are “buying a congressman.” She has also pledged to vote to cut military aid to Israel if re-elected, stating in a July 16 campaign spot, “Trump's donors didn't send me to Congress – you did.”
When asked if AIPAC's involvement could harm his standing, Bell acknowledged the issue of money in politics but defended the group's right to participate in the electoral process, saying no organization should be singled out. He maintained that while he is not a fan of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. should stand by its ally, similar to its support for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Western Europe. Bell also called it “absurd” to describe Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide, arguing, “Israel is a nuclear power. If they wanted to destroy Gaza, they would do it. If they wanted to destroy Gaza they wouldn't allow and facilitate hundreds of humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza every single day.”
Since Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 hostages, Israel's military operation has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. UN commissions and global organizations like Amnesty International have described these actions as genocide.
Bush has garnered endorsements from left-leaning groups, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and the Democratic Socialists of America, who commend her early opposition to the war in Gaza. Bell, conversely, is backed by prominent Democratic figures such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Black Caucus.
Bell's campaign has also raised questions about Bush's political judgment, citing her 2021 vote against the Biden administration's $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package. Bush, along with five other House Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, voted against the measure to gain leverage for a separate proposal aimed at expanding social safety net programs and climate change initiatives. Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which endorsed Bell, suggested this vote exemplifies why Bush lost in 2024, arguing voters seek candidates who deliver results rather than viewing the country solely through a partisan lens. Soifer, who advised Kamala Harris on national security as a senator, stated that Bell occupies the political center, where “the majority of American voters lie,” while Bush has positioned herself as an “extreme voice on the far left.”
During a joint appearance on St. Louis public radio on July 24, Bell reminded listeners that Bush criticized former Vice President Kamala Harris, who won the district by about 57 percentage points in 2024. Bell reiterated this point in an interview, stating that Democrats “worked our tails off” to defeat Donald Trump. He highlighted a “key distinction” between them, noting that “just a little over two weeks prior to the election, Cori Bush was, pardon my language, s— talking Kamala, calling her a fascist and saying that she couldn't vote for her. And in an election that came down to a few thousand votes in about five states, that lack of judgment matters.”
Bush had endorsed Harris in July 2024, advocating that voters should “trust Black women” as the “backbone” of the Democratic Party. However, in an October 2024 interview with Al-Jazeera, she admitted being “conflicted” about voting for Harris in good conscience due to the former vice president's stance on Israel. Bush stated, “I definitely don't want a Donald Trump presidency again. … What I'm hearing is people say, 'Well, we're talking about fighting fascism, we don't need the fascism that comes along with a Donald Trump presidency, but I feel like I'm seeing fascism right now, you know, with a Joe Biden presidency and a Vice President Harris presidency.' It's a struggle.”
Both campaigns have also traded barbs over lawsuits and scandals. Bush's team has highlighted allegations that Bell's security team assaulted pro-Palestinian protesters at a 2025 town hall, and a $500,000 settlement over alleged gender discrimination by a former assistant prosecutor in Bell's office. Bell's campaign, in turn, frequently attacks Bush over a 2024 Justice Department investigation into her use of campaign funds to pay her husband for security work after receiving death threats. Bell has also criticized her for raising funds around a deadly St. Louis tornado last year that were transferred to a political action committee, and her husband's federal charges for allegedly defrauding a pandemic-era small business relief program, which resulted in a mistrial earlier this year.
Bush's campaign did not respond to an interview request, but her allies dismiss the negative attacks, emphasizing her background as a pastor and activist. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who also lost his 2024 reelection to a more moderate challenger, stated, “The people need to know that you're going to fight for them and Cori has shown herself to be a fighter.” Bowman added that Bell “is more of an establishment person, and I want to say this part very clearly: Establishment politics has gotten us two Donald Trump presidencies.”
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