AIPAC-backed Wesley Bell defeats Israel critic Cori Bush in Missouri primary rematch
Democratic socialist Bush was first beaten by Bell in a 2024 face-off; Bush made Bell’s ties to AIPAC a central issue in her campaign
Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell registered a resounding victory in his Democratic primary Tuesday against former Rep. Cori Bush, a prominent Democratic socialist and ardent critic of Israel whom Bell had also defeated in the 2024 primary.
Bell is a supporter of Israel and was backed by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
The Associated Press called the race just an hour after polls closed, at 8:02pm local time. By the time 99% of the vote was counted, Bell had garnered 59.2% of the ballots to Bush’s 36.9%.
“We approached this in a very simple way,” Bell said in his victory speech. “We’re going to work for the people right here in St. Louis.”
Recognizing that the area “has not seen its best days,” with families struggling to buy groceries and fill up their gas tanks, Bell stressed the importance of “coming together” in his victory speech. He also reached out directly to his primary opponents, stressing the “need to start rallying around one another.”
Bush, in her concession speech, continued her attacks on her opponent.
“St. Louis, you deserve a representative that sees you, that hears you, that cares about every single one of you,” she said, blasting Bell for not attending certain candidate forums and accusing him of “running a whole campaign on smears.”
“For the next two years, this community will be represented by someone that didn’t deem you valuable enough,” Bush added.
==Democratic nomination August 4, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
JTA — Missouri Rep. Wesley Bell registered a resounding victory in his Democratic primary Tuesday against former Rep. Cori Bush, a prominent Democratic socialist and ardent critic of Israel whom Bell had also defeated in the 2024 primary.
Bell is a supporter of Israel and was backed by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC.
The Associated Press called the race just an hour after polls closed, at 8:02pm local time. By the time 99% of the vote was counted, Bell had garnered 59.2% of the ballots to Bush’s 36.9%.
“We approached this in a very simple way,” Bell said in his victory speech. “We’re going to work for the people right here in St. Louis.”
Recognizing that the area “has not seen its best days,” with families struggling to buy groceries and fill up their gas tanks, Bell stressed the importance of “coming together” in his victory speech. He also reached out directly to his primary opponents, stressing the “need to start rallying around one another.”
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
Newsletter email address
Your email
Get it
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Bush, in her concession speech, continued her attacks on her opponent.
“St. Louis, you deserve a representative that sees you, that hears you, that cares about every single one of you,” she said, blasting Bell for not attending certain candidate forums and accusing him of “running a whole campaign on smears.”
“For the next two years, this community will be represented by someone that didn’t deem you valuable enough,” Bush added.
Former US representative Cori Bush greets voters during a polling location visit on primary election day, August 4, 2026, in Normandy, Missouri. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)
The primary is a déjà vu moment for St. Louis. The same pair of candidates also faced off in the district’s 2024 primary. At the time, the district was represented by Bush.
Bell prevailed that year in a clash that was largely defined by a $9 million influx of AIPAC cash supporting him. In this rematch, Bush made the American Israel Public Affairs Committee a central issue in her campaign, similar to other anti-Israel candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
In response to Tuesday’s election results, AIPAC posted its congratulations to Bell on X: “Our community was proud to support a strong, principled Democratic leader,” the lobby stated.
The Washington, D.C.-based Jewish Democratic Council of America, which had mobilized networks of voters to make phone calls in support of Bell, was quick to congratulate the congressman following his victory.
“Rep. Bell is a leader in taking on Trump’s corruption,” the group posted on X. “We look forward to seeing him continue to fight for our Jewish and Democratic values.”==
https://www.timesofisrael.com/aipac-backed-wesley-bell-defeats-israel-critic-cori-bush-in-missouri-primary-rematch/