Wesley Bell, a St. Louis county prosecutor, defeated Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a member of the so-called “Squad” in Congress and a harsh critic of the Jewish state, in the Missouri 1st Congressional District Democratic primary on Tuesday night.
At press time, Bell led with more than 63,000 votes (51.2%) to Bush’s more than 56,000 votes (45.6%) with 95% of votes counted. The Associated Press called the race.
AIPAC congratulated Bell “for his consequential victory over an incumbent anti-Israel detractor.”
“Once again, a progressive pro-Israel Democrat has prevailed over a candidate who represents the extremist fringe that is hostile to the Jewish state,” AIPAC stated.
“Rep. Bush is the second Squad member to have been soundly rejected by voters—after George Latimer defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman just a few weeks ago,” it said. “During this primary season, the pro-Israel mainstream has sent a powerful message that America stands with Israel as it battles Iranian terrorist proxies.”
American voters “are rejecting anti-Israel voices in favor of candidates who understand the vital importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” it added. “The outcome in this race—as in so many others—shows that the pro-Israel position is both good policy and good politics for both parties.”
DMFI PAC also congratulated Bell. “Wesley Bell’s victory and Cori Bush’s defeat underscore what we’ve seen in races across the country and throughout this election cycle—being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, but also smart politics,” stated Mark Mellman, chairman of the PAC.
“There’s another valuable lesson in these results—Democrats do not want division or extremism,” Mellman added. “They want the kind of progressive results Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have delivered by bringing people together.”
