Former US Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) raises her fist as US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) addresses a pro-Hamas demonstration in Washington, DC. Photo: Reuters/Allison Bailey
Former US Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), a one-time member of the so-called “Squad” of far-left, anti-Israel lawmakers in Congress, is laying the groundwork for a political comeback after losing her seat in a bruising Democratic primary last year.
Bush has begun hiring staff and is expected to announce her campaign as soon as next week, according to people familiar with her plans who spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The expected move would come less than a year after Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO), the former St. Louis County prosecutor, ousted Bush in a hotly contested primary that underscored deep divisions between progressive activists and the Democratic establishment.
In her farewell remarks on Capitol Hill, Bush signaled she was not done with politics, hinting she might seek a return in 2026. Since leaving office, Bush has launched a political action committee aimed at boosting progressive candidates, a step that positioned her both to retain a base and to keep her options open for another run.
Bell’s campaign wasted little time sharpening its contrast with Bush. A spokesperson accused the former congresswoman of failing to deliver for constituents during her tenure, framing Bell as the pragmatic choice who can focus on delivering tangible results for the district.
Bush’s potential re-entry into the race sets up another high-stakes test for the progressive movement in the Midwest. Her initial victory in 2020 over longtime Rep. Lacy Clay was hailed as a defining moment for the political left. But her defeat at the hands of Bell — who pitched himself as a consensus-builder and a steady alternative — raised questions about the durability of the Squad’s influence outside coastal districts.
Bush lost her reelection campaign to Bell in August 2024 while making her opposition to Israel a key talking point of the race. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, flooded the race with a staggering $8.4 million to secure her ouster. During her concession speech, Bush blamed AIPAC for her loss and vowed to dismantle the organization’s “kingdom.”
The looming rematch is likely to draw national attention and money. Progressive groups are eager to reclaim a seat they consider a movement stronghold, while establishment Democrats see Bell’s win as evidence that voters in the district want a different kind of representation.
During her tenure in office, Bush established herself as one of the most outspoken critics against Israel, and her conduct in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel drew widespread outrage. Only nine days after the atrocities, Bush called for an “immediate ceasefire” between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group, before the former even launched a ground offensive in Gaza. As the war continued, her rhetoric toward Israel sharpened, with the congresswoman accusing the Jewish state of committing “genocide” in Gaza and “apartheid” in the West Bank. Bush has also accused Israel of inflicting a “famine” in Gaza.
