The former congresswoman hopes changing Democratic attitudes on Gaza, big-money politics, and progressive leadership will help her defeat Rep. Wesley Bell in Tuesday's primary.
After being ousted from Congress in a highly contested primary in 2024, Cori Bush is back on the ballot as she seeks to reclaim her seat representing Missouri's 1st Congressional District.
On Tuesday, Aug. 4, Democratic primary voters will again cast their ballots for either Bush or incumbent U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell. The winner of the primary contest in the safely Democratic district will almost certainly win the Nov. 3 general election and be sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, 2027.
While the election between Bush and Bell may seem like déjà vu, Bush hopes to capitalize on a shifting political environment two years after being ousted from her seat.
In 2024, Bush faced more than $8 million in campaign ads against her from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. The pro-Israel group made Bush one of their top targets following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel and Israel's subsequent military attacks in Gaza. Early into the military operation, Bush introduced a resolution demanding an Israeli ceasefire. The then-congresswoman, and former Black Lives Matter protester, was later challenged by Bell, who was then the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney.
However, two years later, Israel's continued strikes in Gaza, which have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians and resulted in the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing a criminal indictment against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes, have garnered increasing criticism from both the political left and right. Additionally, voters have grown frustrated with Democrats in Congress over their response to the Trump administration's economic and immigration policies that have left prices skyrocketing, Black and brown communities flooded with military troops and federal law enforcement, and U.S. citizens dead.
The changing tide within the Democratic Party could work to Cori Bush's benefit.
"Wesley Bell doesn't know how to fight for us. Even worse, while we were still hurting, he abandoned us, jetting off to Israel with AIPAC," Bush said in a campaign ad. The former St. Louis congresswoman criticized Bell for failing to deliver disaster relief after a 2025 tornado in the Midwest city.
In another ad, Bush accused Bell of being funded and sent to Congress by "Trump donors" and touted her record for "bringing home record funding, keeping families in their homes, [and] fighting to end the genocide in Gaza."
Since Bush's ouster from the U.S. House, the humanitarian outrage over Gaza has become a new litmus test for Democrats, as evidenced in high-profile races, including former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' shocking 2024 loss to Trump.
Since 2025, the grassroots movement against Israel's years-long military strikes in Gaza has resulted in several incumbent or establishment Democrats losing elections to pro-Palestinian candidates and members of the Democratic Socialists of America, who ran on the issue of Gaza and other policies like taxing the rich to pay for social services like free child care and education, and expanding labor rights.
In New York, Zohran Mamdani made history as the city's first Muslim mayor after defeating Andrew Cuomo, considered royalty in New York politics, in the 2025 election. Last month, U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) lost their re-elections to DSA members Darializa Avila Chevalier and progressive Brad Lander, respectively. In June, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in a Colorado primary election.
Acknowledging the shift within the Democratic Party, Bush told political influencer Hasan Piker there is now "hope" for Democrats who want to see the suffering in Gaza end and for the U.S. to rethink its relationship with Israel.
"When I first entered Congress, people didn't even want to hear us say the word Palestine, and now so many people are recognizing Palestine. So many people are recognizing that what happened could have been avoided. So many lives could be saved right now had people listened," said Bush, a former nurse and pastor.
She continued, "So I do think the tide has changed. People are saying we don't want AIPAC or big crypto, big real estate, big pharma, big oil, war, whoever. We don't want any of them dictating our elections. So the tide has turned tremendously, and look at all the candidates running."
There are reasons to believe Bush's efforts to tank Bell's re-election chances could be successful. According to The Intercept, the Democrat and former Ferguson City Council member has left community leaders frustrated for being a no-show at candidate forums, and organizers supporting Bush, including DSA leaders, say they are building a grassroots infrastructure for her success. A poll of voters conducted by HIT Strategies saw Bell leading Bush by only 4 points, 44% to 40%. Another 17% of voters said they were undecided.
If she manages to topple Bell on Tuesday and fight her way back into Congress, Bush, who in Congress championed racial justice issues like reparations and ending mass incarceration, promises to double down on her progressive streak.
"Before, I felt like I was there flipping tables, sometimes. I was flipping them one by one," she told The Intercept. "This time, I'll have to do two at a time."