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   From: democrats.eat@black.shit   
      
   ST. LOUIS This story was originally published by St. Louis Public Radio., a   
   BND news partner.   
      
   St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell defeated Congresswoman Cori Bush in   
   the Democratic primary on Tuesday, capping off an expensive and contentious   
   campaign that ended the two-term lawmaker’s tenure in the U.S. House.   
      
   Bell captured 51% of the vote, compared to 45% for Bush and 2.6% for former   
   state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal.   
      
   Since the St. Louis and St. Louis County-based 1st District is heavily   
   Democratic, Bell will be heavily favored to win in November.   
      
   “This district is ready for better and more accountable representation in   
   Washington, D.C.,” Bell said at a victory celebration in St. Louis.   
   “Progressives should actually make progress. And that’s what I’ve done my   
   entire career.”   
      
   Bell’s victory is a win for pro-Israel groups who spent millions of dollars   
   to boost his candidacy because of Bush’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.   
      
   It’s a loss for the St. Louis progressive movement that’s gained power in   
   recent years. And it’s the second time a member of “the Squad” has lost   
   reelection, after New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman lost to George Latimer   
   in June.   
      
   “I try to stay away from the labels because I think that’s part of the   
   problem that leads to the political gridlock in our government now, which   
   results in nothing getting done,” said Bell, when asked what it meant to   
   defeat another member of “the Squad.”   
      
   “I’m old enough to remember when Democrats and Republicans butted heads,   
   reached that 11th hour compromise, and they went and had a beer together.   
      
   I believe I’m cut from that cloth.” The victory caps off a tumultuous 2024   
   election cycle for Bell. Last year, Bell announced he was running for the   
   Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate, joining a field that ultimately   
   included Independence attorney Lucas Kunce and state Sen. Karla May.   
      
   Despite having high name recognition in the St. Louis area, Bell struggled   
   to match Kunce’s fundraising and also failed to consolidate support among   
   Black elected officials who endorsed either Kunce or May. But Bell’s   
   political trajectory changed after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel.   
      
   Bush condemned Hamas but also called for an end to the U.S. government’s   
   support for “Israel’s military occupation and apartheid.” She also said   
   she   
   wouldn’t be silent over “Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign” after the   
   country launched a military offensive in Gaza.   
      
   Those comments provoked outrage both locally and nationally from Jewish   
   groups. And Bell cited Bush’s criticism of Israel as one of the reasons he   
   chose to end his U.S. Senate campaign and instead run against Bush.   
      
   But he also contended that Bush wasn’t effective, and promised to be more   
   collaborative in order to bring more money to the St. Louis region. “I   
   believe in leading from the front and setting the example,” Bell said.   
      
   “I don’t want anybody that’s working with me to think that they’re   
   outworking me, because you’re not going to do that.”   
      
   https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article290829224.html   
      
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