Cori Bush Could Lose Primary as Israel Divides Democrats

Progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri could be on course to lose her upcoming primary election amid a Democratic divide over Israel.

Different factions of Democrats have been at odds over U.S. support for Israel as the country continues its assault on Gaza more than eight months after Hamas launched its October 7 attack on Israel. Israeli authorities say that around 1,200 Israelis were killed, while over 39,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, per the Associated Press.

Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, who has been critical of Israel’s war and is a member of the group of progressive Democratic House lawmakers known as “the Squad” like Bush, lost his primary election last month to a pro-Israel candidate backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

A poll released on Monday by The Mellman Group on behalf of Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI), a PAC affiliated with AIPAC, suggests that Bush could be next. The poll found that the incumbent congresswoman’s pro-Israel challenger Wesley Bell holds a 6-point lead in the August 6 primary, 48 percent to 42 percent.

“As voters hear from the candidates, Democrats in Missouri’s 1st District are increasingly disillusioned with Bush and attracted to Bell,” DMFI PAC Chairman Mark Mellman said in a statement.

“In just the last month, Congresswoman Bush saw a 12-point increase in the number of voters who say she does not get things done for her district and an 8-point increase in those who do not think she’s honest or ethical,” Mellman added.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Bush campaign via email on Monday.

Since shortly after Israel began its attack on Gaza, Bush has been calling for a ceasefire. She has gone on to accuse Israel of genocide against Palestinians, while arguing that U.S. military aid to Israel amounts to spending “billions of dollars to continue enabling mass atrocities.”

Bush was among many Democrats who boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s address to Congress last week. In a statement, Bush accused pro-Israel lawmakers of “continuing to green-light genocide” and “actively celebrating the man at the forefront of that genocide.”

Bell, prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County, has promised to “fight to make sure the United States remains Israel’s strongest ally,” arguing that the attack on Gaza is justified because “Israel has the right to defend itself and go after those who perpetrated” the October 7 attack.

The Bush campaign has accused Bell of being “bankrolled by the MAGA extremists trying to take away our abortion rights,” claiming that Republican Senator Josh Hawley and donors to former President Donald Trump are behind the primary challenge.

Some Jewish leaders from Bush’s constituency have accused her of “ignoring” them, while over 30 rabbis from the St. Louis area have endorsed Bell and condemned the congresswoman’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to Jewish Insider.

AIPAC, DMFI and pro-Israel group United Democracy Project have recently spent over $7.6 in campaign ads and materials supporting Bell and attacking Bush, according to St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK.

Pro-Israel groups reportedly spent around $15.6 million to help Westchester County Executive George Latimer oust Bowman, who has also accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.