House Democratic leaders endorsed Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) in her competitive primary contest Tuesday, days after fellow “Squad” member Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) lost his reelection bid.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) threw their support behind Bush in a joint statement, giving her a boost ahead of Missouri’s primary next month.
“Cori has shown up for the people of St. Louis in the fight for reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, and affordable housing,” House Democrat leaders said. “We stand together to endorse Cori Bush for reelection as we collectively work hard to make life better for everyday Americans and battle the corrosive extreme MAGA Republican agenda.”
The endorsement comes as Democrats are preparing for tough incumbent primaries, particularly seats held by liberals who have been targeted for their anti-Israel stances. Many are warning about the level of outside spending in these races, calling Bowman’s loss to Westchester County Executive George Latimer a “red alert” for the party.
House Democratic leaders generally back all incumbents regardless of ideological leaning. Jeffries and the other House leaders had endorsed and donated money to Bowman, but they did not hit the campaign trails for him.
Some have pointed to a lack of support from Democratic leadership as one of many factors contributing to Bowman’s defeat. When asked if leadership should have been more involved in assisting Bowman in his primary, Congressional Progressive Caucus Whip Gregorio Casar (D-TX) pointed to the “unprecedented” spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other groups that don’t represent the liberals’ districts.
“I think Mr. Bowman’s race opens up the floodgates to potentially tens of millions of dollars being spent in primaries, tens of millions of dollars that aren’t necessarily talking about, in their ads, the issues that that big interest cares about, but about something else,” Casar said.
“If we don’t take this as a red alert moment, that there’s historic and unprecedented spending in one congressional primary, we should take a bigger lesson away from this, then,” he added.
Whether or not Democratic leaders will stump and campaign for Bush is unclear as of now.
“With their support, I know we’re going to win our race in August, take back the House in November, and continue to deliver for the people and St. Louis,” Bush said in a statement, thanking leaders for their endorsement.
Bush and “Squad” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) face primaries in August. The Missouri Democrat’s challenger, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, has been vocally critical of the congresswoman’s calls to end the “occupation” of Israel — a common call among the progressive left as the war continues in the region.
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Donors close to AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, and other pro-Israel groups had cited Bush and Bowman’s races as the groups’ top targets for 2024. Through the United Democracy Project PAC, AIPAC has spent or reserved $2.6 million to boost Bell in the primary, according to Politico.
Bush has been encumbered by personal controversies this election cycle, including a federal investigation into whether she misused campaign spending for security services. Bush’s husband was paid by her campaign to work security for her, though Bush has denied any wrongdoing.
