Democratic Congressman Wesley Bell won his primary in the St. Louis area on Tuesday, ending progressive former Representative Cori Bush's bid for a comeback and blunting the momentum that pro-Palestinian candidates have shown in recent elections, reports infohub.kz.
Two years ago, Bell defeated Bush, a democratic socialist who opposes aid to the U.S. ally and accuses it of committing genocide in Gaza, in the Democratic primary with the help of millions of dollars in spending from pro-Israel groups. This year's rematch came amid a spate of primary defeats of Democratic incumbents at the hands of progressive outsiders.
Shortly after polls closed, the Associated Press declared Bell the winner. Given the district's heavily Democratic lean, Bell is the favorite to win a second term in the November election.
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent about $3 million to help Bell's campaign against Bush, who served in the House of Representatives after being elected in 2020 and was a member of "the Squad" of progressive lawmakers of color.
The two candidates had squared off over who would better stand up to Donald Trump and spur growth in the St. Louis region, which is managing the aftermath of a deadly tornado last year.
On the campaign trail, Bell, a former county prosecutor, criticized Bush for voting against Joe Biden's 2021 infrastructure bill and for a comment in which she appeared to link both Biden and Kamala Harris to "fascism." Bush said she opposed the infrastructure bill only because it did not contain spending on social services that Biden had promised, and that her words about the former president and vice president were taken out of context.
Bush hit back by accusing Bell of having his seat bought for him by AIPAC. The congressman has said he is in favor of supporting Israel while opposing Benjamin Netanyahu's government.