Missouri’s Democratic Incumbent Rep. Cori Bush is rallying her progressive troops on Monday night as her survival in Congress straddles the line of defeat in Tuesday’s primary challenge against Wesley Bell, a prosecutor propped up by AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups, who polls showed leading by six points.
In the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC’s most recent poll released on July 29, Bell led Bush 48% to 42%, indicating a growing margin between the candidates as Bell only led Bush by one point in DMFI PAC’s June survey.
While Bush’s June and July polling numbers stayed the same, DMFI PAC’s polling found Bush’s overall support has dropped since January.
On Monday, Mark Mellman, DMFI’s president and CEO of political consulting firm The Mellman Group, told The Jerusalem Post the race could still be won by either candidate, as the last poll was conducted more than 10 days before the election.
Both campaigns are working hard, but the momentum certainly seemed to be with Bell, Mellman said.
A Bell victory would send a clear message that being pro-Israel is not just wise, but it’s smart politics, Mellman said.
“I think there’s a further message here, which is that Democrats are not interested in division or extremism,” Mellman said. “They’re interested in the kind of progressive results that [the ticket[ Joe Biden Kamala [Harris] has delivered by bringing people together.”
While Mellman said Bell and Bush do share some similar political and policy beliefs like police reform, there could also hardly be a starker contrast between the two.
“Congresswoman Bush has been one of the most bellicose and vituperative anti-Israel members of Congress bar none,” Mellman added. “And Wesley Bell has a strong record of strong support for the US-Israel relationship. So there’s a dramatic difference between these candidates on this issue.”
Bush has been one of the loudest voices on Capitol Hill calling for a ceasefire and for an end to US support for Israel.
Bush introduced the “Ceasefire Now Resolution” on October 16, which called for US President Joe Biden to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire. In April, She and Rep. Rashida Talib requested to meet with Biden to demand a ceasefire and for the Israeli government to cease any plans to invade Rafah.
She’s released almost a dozen statements since October 7, criticizing police response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus, Israel’s invasion of Rafah, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to address Congress, which she boycotted.
In March, she brought a Palestinian dentist and graduate student who lives in St. Louis as her guest to The State of the Union.
More endorsements for Bell
AIPAC has doled out more than $5.1 million in advertisements against Bush, according to Open Secrets, a campaign finance watchdog, though not all campaign donations are included in their calculations. Supporting candidates who are pro-Israel, DMFI PAC has put forward more than seven figures toward Bell’s campaign.
Jewish Democratic Council of America also endorsed Bell.
Bell, who was initially running a Senate campaign before dropping out to challenge Bush for the House, has maintained his support of Israel throughout the campaign.
According to Riverfront Times, a St. Louis-area newspaper, Bell told a meeting of the Maryland Heights Township Democrats that he found it offensive that someone would say Israel defending itself is genocide and calling Israel’s military actions ethnic cleansing “is just wrong.”
Bell’s official campaign stance on foreign policy says he “believes Israel has the right to defend itself and go after those who perpetrated those attacks [on October 7]. In Congress, I’ll fight to make sure the United States remains Israel’s strongest ally.”
Riverfront Times also reported that Bell has been endorsed by the rabbi of St. Louis’s only synagogue.