Progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri might be at risk of losing her upcoming primary election due to a split among Democrats over U.S. support for Israel. Different factions within the Democratic Party have been debating the issue as Israel continues its offensive in Gaza, following the October 7 attack by Hamas that resulted in around 1,200 Israeli casualties. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 39,200 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the conflict began, as reported by the Associated Press.
Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York, another member of the progressive “Squad” like Bush, was defeated in his primary election last month by a pro-Israel candidate supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). A recent poll conducted by The Mellman Group for the Democratic Majority For Israel (DMFI), a PAC associated with AIPAC, indicates that Bush may face a similar challenge. The poll shows her pro-Israel opponent, Wesley Bell, leading by 6 points in the August 6 primary, with 48 percent to Bush’s 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.
He continued: “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.”
Since shortly after Israel launched its offensive in Gaza, Congresswoman Cori Bush has been advocating for a ceasefire. She has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians and argued that U.S. military aid to Israel is funding “billions of dollars to continue enabling mass atrocities.”
Bush, along with other Democrats, boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress last week. She accused pro-Israel lawmakers of “green-lighting genocide” and “celebrating the man behind it.”
