Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) has declared her intention to retaliate against a major pro-Israel PAC following her defeat in the primary for her reelection campaign on Tuesday. The PAC supported her rival in a closely fought contest, marking the second time this election cycle that a member of the progressive “squad” has been ousted.
The United Democracy Project, a super PAC backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was a major contributor to Bush’s opponent, St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell. Bush had faced severe criticism due to her vocal opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
In a passionate speech following her defeat, Bush asserted that leaving Congress would only release her from certain constraints.
“Because now, there are some strings that I have attached. And as much as I love my job, all they did was radicalize me, and now they should be afraid,” she declared.
“They’re about to see this other Cori, this other side,” she added. “There is nothing that happens in my life that happens in vain. So, this happened because it was meant to happen. And let me say, it’s because of the work that I need to do.”
“And let me say this: AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down!” she proclaimed, drawing cheers from the audience.
Bush, a member of the “squad,” has referred to the ongoing conflict in Gaza as “Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign” and earlier this year put forward the Ceasefire Now Resolution. While some of her statements have drawn criticism from fellow congressional members and her own constituents, they have also gained traction among her supporters.
“I think [her] comments show a lack of understanding of the nuance and complexities of an issue that’s literally hundreds of years in the making,” Bell remarked when launching his campaign.
Reports from Sludge indicate that AIPAC played a crucial role in raising two-thirds of the funding for Bell’s campaign. The United Democracy Project invested over $7 million in efforts to defeat Bush.
Bush’s loss marks the second time this cycle that a member of the “squad” has been defeated in a primary, following Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who also faced a challenger supported by AIPAC. In the wake of Bowman’s defeat last month, some progressive voices have expressed concern about the PAC’s influence.
{Matzav.com}