ST. LOUIS — ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has picked up a major endorsement in his bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, D-ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
The Missouri-Kansas Laborers’ District Council has endorsed Bell, who is running against the two-term incumbent in the August 2024 Democratic primary.
“During her time in Congress, Cori Bush has failed union laborers and working families,†said Ronny Griffin, business manager of Laborers Local 110 in ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Specifically, Griffin pointed to Bush’s opposition to the Biden administration’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill and to her of guided missiles to Israel that would have generated work at Boeing’s ºüÀêÊÓƵ-area operations.
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The union’s statement also contends that Bush has cost ºüÀêÊÓƵ in the area of federal financial investment.
“Kansas City recently received $12 billion in federal grants for new infrastructure and existing infrastructure repairs ... while ºüÀêÊÓƵ was left behind,†the union statement said.
Bell said in the statement that he is a longtime supporter of labor unions.
“Strengthening workers’ protections is essential to ensuring a fair and just society for all,†said Bell, who went on to promise that he would “support legislation to further codify the right to collectively bargain and work towards eliminating right-to-work laws.â€
The bi-state council represents about 14,000 workers, including about 5,700 who work out of two locals in Bush’s district. Membership includes construction laborers, janitors, mechanics and public sector workers.
Bush previously picked up the endorsement of another bi-state labor group with about 14,000 members, the Service Employees International Union.
The union that represents hospital and home health care workers pitched their support to Bush in early November, saying she has “a proven record of fighting for essential workers and their families.â€
The contest between Bush and Bell will pit two veterans of the Ferguson unrest in 2014 against each other: Bush was an activist who helped lead protests; Bell was elected to the Ferguson City Council in 2015.
Bell, who was elected as the county’s top prosecutor in 2018 and reelected in 2022, filed earlier this year to run against Lucas Kunce in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
But on Oct 30, Bell withdrew from that contest and switched to the congressional race to oppose Bush.
Bell’s pivot came on the heels of growing criticism levied at Bush for her staunchly pro-Palestinian stance after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
Soon after the attack, news reports indicated that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful and well-funded pro-Israel lobbying group, had created a $100 million war chest aimed at defeating Bush and several other progressive members of the U.S. Congress.
The lobbying group had long been a critic of Bush for her votes against extending defense aid to Israel, as well as opposing other measures considered to be pro-Israeli.
The influx of major funding came at a bad time for Bush, whose most recent federal campaign report shows that her campaign has an outstanding debt of almost $130,000 and less than $20,000 in cash on hand.
The 1st Congressional District includes all of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, much of north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County and some central county areas, including parts of Creve Coeur, Olivette, Brentwood and Webster Groves. It is solidly Democratic and about 50% Black. A Republican hasn’t represented the district in more than 50 years.