Progressive challenger Cori Bush beat out longtime incumbent Rep. William Lacy Clay in the Democratic primary in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
Bush’s nabbed the win with 48.9% of the vote to Clay’s 45.5%.
“They counted us out,” Bush said following her victory. “They called me — I’m just the protester, I’m just the activist with no name, no title and no real money. That’s all they said that I was. But St. Louis showed up today.”
Bush went up against Clay in 2018 and lost, but her campaign was bolstered by the Black Lives Matter movement this year.
Bush took to the street many times over recent months, and on Tuesday, recalled her own experiences of police violence.
“I was maced and beaten by those same police officers in those same streets,” she said. “Six months from now, as the first Black congresswoman in the entire history of Missouri, I will be holding every single one of them accountable.”
She continued: “If you didn’t understand what happened, what was birthed right here in St. Louis, Missouri, in St. Louis County, in Ferguson, we’re about to show you.”
Bush plans to continue to tackle social injustice head-on. Her message to Missouri residents one of resistance and of hope.
“Tonight, Missouri’s 1st District has decided that an incremental approach isn’t going to work any longer,” Bush told supporters at a news conference after the race was called. “We decided that we the people have the answers, and we will lead from the front lines.”
