Two down a few more of the vermin to go.
Incumbent progressive Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic primary in Missouri against a well-funded challenger backed by pro-Israel group Aipac.
Bush’s loss to St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell is a major electoral win for Aipac, which has targeted members of Congress who criticized Israel on the national stage. The congresswoman is the second member of the progressive House “Squad” to lose a Democratic primary this summer, after Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) was defeated in June.
With 94% of the vote counted, Bell had 51% to Bush’s 45.8%, according to the Associated Press projection.
Bush had spent the summer on the campaign trail fundraising and fending off accusations that she has broken too often with her party.
Voters in St. Louis were swarmed with a barrage of advertisements over the past few months in a $19 million primary that tested the power of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups to target Democrats who have criticized Israel over how it is conducting the war in Gaza.
While most of Aipac’s ads didn’t explicitly mention Israel and many voters in the district said they didn’t see Israel as a key issue, the special interest group nonetheless dominated the tone of the race by spending about $9 million on advertising through its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project.
“I’ve done hundreds of campaigns,” said Mark Mellman, who runs the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, DMFI. “I’ve never been in a competitive race where people haven’t complained about getting too many campaign ads, and getting too much campaign mail…the reality is, this decision is up to the voter.”
The United Democracy Project attacked Bush after she led efforts in the House to advocate for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza in the weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s military campaign that followed. In June, the super PAC helped defeat Bowman by spending almost $15 million in independent expenditures to boost his challenger George Latimer. Bowman is a two-term lawmaker and outspoken member of the Squad.
“This is a fight for the future of the soul of the Democratic Party,” said Usamah Andrabi of Justice Democrats, a group that has spent more than $2.4 million on advertising in support of Bush. “Are we going to continue to elect more nurses and everyday people who understand their communities’ most pressing priorities, or are we going to continue to allow megadonors and super PACs to dictate the outcome of our elections?”
Supporters of the most progressive Democrats in the House have scrambled to scale up their on-the-ground mobilization efforts as members of the Squad struggle to fight back against well-funded primary challengers. The day after Bowman lost his New York primary, members of an advocacy group called Protect Our Power organized meetings to plan how they would bounce back and help Bush win, according to Ella Weber, the group’s communications director.
Mellman said Bowman had more weaknesses than Bush does, and expected the St. Louis lawmaker to fare better at the polls than her New York counterpart. But Bush faced a consistent stream of criticism on the campaign trail, much of it surrounding her “no” vote on the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Bush has defended her vote, saying she didn’t feel comfortable supporting legislation that lacked the social-service funding included in the bigger Build Back Better bill that stalled in Congress. She’s also dealing with a Justice Department investigation into her alleged use of campaign funds for security payments to her husband. She has denied any wrongdoing and said she is cooperating with federal prosecutors.
In a primary in Michigan that could help decide control of the Senate in November, candidates from both parties are vying to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), who is retiring.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) won the Democratic primary defeating Hill Harper, an actor known for his role in the TV series “CSI: NY,” the AP projected.
On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated a crowded field including former GOP Rep. Justin Amash, the AP said.
Stabenow’s seat is one of four Senate seats that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has described as a tossup. Democrats currently have a two-seat majority in the Senate.
Incumbent progressive Rep. Cori Bush lost the Democratic primary in Missouri against a well-funded challenger backed by pro-Israel group Aipac.
Bush’s loss to St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell is a major electoral win for Aipac, which has targeted members of Congress who criticized Israel on the national stage. The congresswoman is the second member of the progressive House “Squad” to lose a Democratic primary this summer, after Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D., N.Y.) was defeated in June.
With 94% of the vote counted, Bell had 51% to Bush’s 45.8%, according to the Associated Press projection.
Bush had spent the summer on the campaign trail fundraising and fending off accusations that she has broken too often with her party.
Voters in St. Louis were swarmed with a barrage of advertisements over the past few months in a $19 million primary that tested the power of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups to target Democrats who have criticized Israel over how it is conducting the war in Gaza.
While most of Aipac’s ads didn’t explicitly mention Israel and many voters in the district said they didn’t see Israel as a key issue, the special interest group nonetheless dominated the tone of the race by spending about $9 million on advertising through its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project.
“I’ve done hundreds of campaigns,” said Mark Mellman, who runs the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, DMFI. “I’ve never been in a competitive race where people haven’t complained about getting too many campaign ads, and getting too much campaign mail…the reality is, this decision is up to the voter.”
The United Democracy Project attacked Bush after she led efforts in the House to advocate for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza in the weeks following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s military campaign that followed. In June, the super PAC helped defeat Bowman by spending almost $15 million in independent expenditures to boost his challenger George Latimer. Bowman is a two-term lawmaker and outspoken member of the Squad.
“This is a fight for the future of the soul of the Democratic Party,” said Usamah Andrabi of Justice Democrats, a group that has spent more than $2.4 million on advertising in support of Bush. “Are we going to continue to elect more nurses and everyday people who understand their communities’ most pressing priorities, or are we going to continue to allow megadonors and super PACs to dictate the outcome of our elections?”
Supporters of the most progressive Democrats in the House have scrambled to scale up their on-the-ground mobilization efforts as members of the Squad struggle to fight back against well-funded primary challengers. The day after Bowman lost his New York primary, members of an advocacy group called Protect Our Power organized meetings to plan how they would bounce back and help Bush win, according to Ella Weber, the group’s communications director.
Mellman said Bowman had more weaknesses than Bush does, and expected the St. Louis lawmaker to fare better at the polls than her New York counterpart. But Bush faced a consistent stream of criticism on the campaign trail, much of it surrounding her “no” vote on the bipartisan infrastructure law.
Bush has defended her vote, saying she didn’t feel comfortable supporting legislation that lacked the social-service funding included in the bigger Build Back Better bill that stalled in Congress. She’s also dealing with a Justice Department investigation into her alleged use of campaign funds for security payments to her husband. She has denied any wrongdoing and said she is cooperating with federal prosecutors.
In a primary in Michigan that could help decide control of the Senate in November, candidates from both parties are vying to succeed Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.), who is retiring.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) won the Democratic primary defeating Hill Harper, an actor known for his role in the TV series “CSI: NY,” the AP projected.
On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.), who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, defeated a crowded field including former GOP Rep. Justin Amash, the AP said.
Stabenow’s seat is one of four Senate seats that the nonpartisan Cook Political Report has described as a tossup. Democrats currently have a two-seat majority in the Senate.
