Nearly Two-Thirds of All Campaign Funds for Cori Bush Challenger Came From AIPAC

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Nearly Two-Thirds of All Campaign Funds for Cori Bush Challenger Came From AIPAC
St. Louis County Prosecutor, Wesley Bell gives remarks during the Ferguson mayoral inauguration ceremony for Ella James at the Urban League Empowerment Center on June 17, 2020 in Ferguson, Missouri. Ella Jones becomes the city's first African-American Mayor in it's 165-year history. (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

“Wesley Bell is now the No. 1 recipient of AIPAC cash this cycle—receiving $3 million and counting,” Justice Democrats noted.

by Brett Wilkins, reposted from Common Dreams, Jul 30, 2024

Almost two-thirds of all campaign donations to St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell who just ousted Congresswoman Cori Bush in last week’s Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District — came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC, according to reporting.

Sludge reported that Bell enjoyed a 5:1 cash-on-hand advantage over Bush, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Overall, Bell’s campaign raised $4.8 million while Bush’s took in $2.9 million as of July 17 in what AdImpact Politics said wasthe fifth-most expensive House primary race in U.S. history.

The most expensive House primary took place earlier this year, when AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), spent $14.5 million on Westchester County, New York Executive George Latimer’s successful bid to unseat Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.).

Like Bowman, Bush has been a vocal critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed or wounded more than 140,000 Palestinians and is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case. Bush co-led a House cease-fire resolution introduced less than two weeks after Israel began bombarding Gaza. She has accused Israel of genocide.

Bell, meanwhile, has vowed to “fight to make sure the United States remains Israel’s strongest ally.”

UDP has spent heavily against candidates critical of Israel, and Bell is now the top recipient of AIPAC money this election cycle. St. Louis NBC affiliate KSDK reported Monday that UDP and other pro-Israel PACs have spent $7.6 million boosting Bell.

Bell launched his primary bid in October after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that left more than 1,100 Israelis and others dead and around 240 people kidnapped. At the time, he was already running for Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s seat. His House bid came despite a promise to Bush that he would not run against her. On Tuesday, Drop Site’s Ryan Grim published an audio recording of Bell’s promise.

According to Drop Site, AIPAC recruited Bell from a list of Black politicians with a chance of unseating Bush. AIPAC called this assertion “false and absurd.”

Bell portrays himself as a progressive. However, he formerly managed the 2006 House campaign of Republican Mark Byrne, an anti-abortion and gun control candidate. More recently, he reneged on a promise to the family of Michael Brown — the 18-year-old who was fatally shot by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson — to pursue justice in the case by declining to criminally charge Wilson. Bell has also overseen a steady increase in the St. Louis County Jail’s population at a time when the overall U.S. prison and jail population declined.

Bell’s campaign was funded by Republicans including billionaire hedge fund founder and prolific GOP donor Daniel Loeb, billionaire tech CEO David Steward, and former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley. An analysis published last month by Politico revealed that 46% of donors who have given to Democratic candidates via AIPAC this election cycle have also funded Republicans since the 2020 cycle.

Such support doesn’t always buy results, as Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-Pa.) showed when she defeated her Democratic primary opponent Bhavini Patel, who took money from Republican megadonors including billionaire businessman Jeffrey Yass. UDP spent $5 million trying — and failing — to unseat Lee, who crushed Patel by over 20 percentage points in the April primary.

AIPAC’s largesse has sparked a #RejectAIPAC campaign urging Democrats to refuse to take money from the group.

Brett Wilkins is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

Cori Bush says people ‘need to be afraid’ after losing Missouri’s Democratic primary election

Well done, Rep. Bush!

Representative Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, arrives for a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Representative Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, arrives for a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024.

Missouri’s Democratic Rep. Cori Bush gave a powerful speech, professing to her supporters that people “need to be afraid” after she lost the primary election, CNN reported.

by Sharelle Burt, reposted from Black Enterprise, August 7, 2024

After losing in a tough 1st Congressional District race to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell on Aug. 6, Bush became the second U.S. House “squad” member to lose, following a loss by progressive NY lawmaker Rep. Jamaal Bowman.

During her concession speech, Bush spoke of her journey in Washington and claimed losing is just going to bring out another side of her that the state has yet to see. “Pulling me away from my position as congresswoman, all you did was take some of the strings off. Let’s be clear, let’s talk about what it really is,” she said, met with thunderous applause.

“Because see, now I don’t have to worry about some strings that I have attached, and as much as I love my job — but all they did was radicalize me, so now they need to be afraid. They are about to see this other Cori, this other side, cause let me say this: I just grew up a whole lot more over the last few weeks.”

Bush lost what is being called the second-most expensive primary of the cycle after Bowman. An intense push for a ceasefire in Gaza added fuel to opponents’ fire. Bell is considered a shoo-in for the solid blue St. Louis-area seat. His victory also marks the second time in three cycles that a challenger has unseated the incumbent in the 1st District Democratic primary. Bush defeated Rep. William Lacy Clay in 2020.

During her campaign, Bush sought to defeat Bell by labeling him as far removed from the community that elected him and as a caveat for corporate donors. “By supporting our grassroots campaign,” Bush said in a recent fundraising email. “You’re standing up against a grifter politician and the influence of big money in politics and demanding real representation for the people of MO-01.”

The super PAC of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) pushed back with pricey ads equaling $9 million attacking Bush and boosting Bell. “She sold out our president, and she sold out the city of St. Louis,” one ad said. Bush touched on the attacks from AIPAC during her speech. “APAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down,” she said.

Another ad by the Mainstream Democrats PAC attacked her over being involved in a federal investigation over alleged misuse of campaign funds for security services.

Bush has since denied any wrongdoing and maintains that she complied with House rules.

According to Politico, Bush said that regardless of her title being changed, the goal is to take care of the people of Missouri. “Whether I’m congresswoman or not, I’m still taking care of my people,” she told supporters while defending outside spending against her.

“Because your side is so weak, you had to spend $19 million.”

Sharelle Burt is an author for Black Enterprise.

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