ST. LOUIS -- In her concession speech after losing the Democratic primary in 2024, then-Rep. Cori Bush delivered stern words to Aipac, a pro-Israel group that poured millions into defeating her: "I'm coming to tear your kingdom down."
Two years later, Bush is staging a comeback attempt to reclaim the deep-blue Missouri seat she lost to Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell, a former prosecutor running as a more-centrist candidate to represent St. Louis and some of its inner suburbs.
The rematch Tuesday marks a high-profile test of which direction Democratic voters want to go: a pragmatic, moderate path personified by Bell, or the more-energetic, leftward direction sought by Bush, a onetime member of the "Squad" of prominent progressive lawmakers. The primary also will show whether voters are willing to give Bush a second chance, in a race where she is again being vastly outspent by her opponent and outside groups.
"I want to go in and get back to work," Bush said in an interview, promising to fight to move the party further left if elected. "I've been frustrated with the Democratic caucus because I feel like we can do so much more," she said, pointing to issues like protecting abortion rights and combating Project 2025 government cuts.
Since Bush's defeat, many Democratic voters have shifted toward the positions she has championed. Her criticism of Israel is now widespread in the party, and candidates touting the same progressive policies that Bush has pushed, like free universal healthcare, have won a series of high-profile races. Like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, she identifies as a Democratic socialist.
She is facing an onslaught of negative ads. Spots from Aipac-aligned United Democracy Project paint her as having been lackadaisical in her congressional duties and hostile to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris when they were in office, and they highlight her vote against the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill. Those attacks on her record were repeated by many voters, during a visit in recent days to her district.
Bush is betting that dissatisfaction among Democrats, paired with her reputation as an activist who isn't afraid to ruffle feathers, will jolt voters her way. Outside her campaign headquarters in a strip mall in Florissant, Mo., locals picking up peach cobbler from the dessert shop next door gave her familiar waves.
Bush's own ads cast her as a fighter who isn't beholden to Aipac -- short for American Israel Public Affairs Committee -- or other special interests.
Aipac spokeswoman Deryn Sousa said Bell is a "serious, principled leader who pro-Israel Americans are proud to support" over Bush.
Bush, 50 years old, rose to prominence during the Ferguson, Mo., protests that followed the death of Michael Brown Jr., who was killed by a white police officer in 2014. She unseated long-serving Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay in a 2020 primary.
She has been homeless, living in her car at one point, an experience she said shaped her politics. In 2021, she spearheaded efforts to extend a Covid-19-era eviction moratorium, sleeping for four nights on the steps of the Capitol.
Bush's strongest support comes from St. Louis's poorest neighborhoods, where her background as a community activist earned her cachet as a champion for low-income residents. Bell, in contrast, has strong support in the wealthier St. Louis County suburbs.
"I don't feel Wesley Bell is actually doing anything for the citizens of the city of St. Louis," said Demoine Smith, 58, who is voting for Bush. "Cori was working for us."
Robert Bianco, 65, said he was supporting Bell because of his career as a prosecutor, and said he didn't like Bush's antagonistic language toward Biden and Harris. Bianco said he had one issue with Bell: what he saw as his deep support for Israel. "That's one of the things I find a bit disturbing," Bianco said.
Angela Roffle, 67, said although she is a progressive who aligns with Bush's policies, she isn't voting for her this time, citing weak constituent services. When she reached out to Bush's office in 2024 for help getting passports for her family, she said she received no response.
"I didn't see anything that she did that was substantive to make me say, 'Yeah, I want Cori back,'" Roffle said.
Bush said in Congress she pushed for the State Department to address delays in processing passports. She said that her office occasionally may not have provided a prompt response to an inquiry and wanted to "personally extend my apologies" to Roffle.
Two years ago, voters swung toward the center, and Bell notched a five-point win. This campaign, Bell has raised $3.6 million in total, nearly triple the $1.3 million raised by the Bush campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Bell also has benefited from $2.1 million in ad spending from the Aipac-aligned United Democracy Project and about $700,000 from the New Democrat Majority super PAC, a group aligned with centrists, according to AdImpact.
As of mid-July, Bell still had more than $1 million to spend on hand, while Bush had only about $98,000, according to the FEC filings.
Bush has been endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), as well as House Democratic nominee Melat Kiros, a Democratic socialist from Colorado who is rallying with Bush on Sunday. Bell is endorsed by the Congressional Black Caucus and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), as well as several local business groups and unions.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.), who endorsed Bush in 2024, hasn't endorsed her this year.
There has been little polling, but the race is expected to be close, said Kenneth Warren, a pollster and professor of political science at Saint Louis University. He said that Bell boasts strong fundraising, but some voters perceive him as too friendly with Republicans and the city's business interests.
While Bell is benefiting from the influx of funding, the heavy spending could also suggest the freshman representative might be in trouble.
"You don't spend that kind of money unless you're worried," Warren said.
Bell, 51, said although he supports Israel, he is critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last month, he voted against an amendment backed by about half of House Democrats that would have stripped military aid from Israel. He also supports such progressive causes as Medicare for All.
Bush has faced several controversies. In 2024, she said the Justice Department was investigating whether her campaign improperly paid her husband to provide personal security, which she denied. She wasn't charged with any crime.
She missed over 240 votes during her four years in Congress, according to GovTrack, significantly higher than most House members. She has cited personal and health reasons. Bush said she voted against the infrastructure law because she felt the spending shouldn't have been separated from Biden's broader Build Back Better proposal, which contained social, housing and climate spending. Her vote sparked a backlash among business and labor groups.
St. Louis is currently rebounding from a deadly tornado that caused $1.6 billion in damages. Bush said Bell abandoned residents and didn't fight hard enough for relief funding. Bell said the region has received over $200 million in federal relief. "We know that's not enough. The whole disaster relief system is broken," Bell said.
Laneisha Hoke, a 27-year-old member of the Laborers' International Union of North America Local 42, attended the group's monthly meeting last week, where Bell appeared to heavy applause. She said although the union is backing Bell, she is supporting Bush because of her advocacy for the Palestinian people.
"She's not perfect, but I'm familiar with Cori Bush. Wesley Bell is a Democrat but he seems disingenuous," Hoke said.
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