ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell speaks to supporters on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, after winning the Democratic primary for the 1st District U.S. Congress seat. Video by Ansley Franco
ST. LOUIS — When Wesley Bell declared victory Tuesday night, he predictably thanked his campaign staff, family, friends and colleagues.
Their efforts helped Bell, ºüÀêÊÓƵ County’s prosecuting attorney, defeat incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush by a 51%-to-46% margin in the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary.
Bell’s margin of victory was about 11,000 votes, about 14.5 percentage points in ºüÀêÊÓƵ County. In ºüÀêÊÓƵ city, Bush beat Bell by about 4,000 votes, about 8.5 percentage points.
But along with the usual kudos, Bell acknowledged two crucial reasons he managed to upset a high-profile incumbent:
Organized religion and organized labor.
During his victory speech, Bell specifically pointed to two groups of faith leaders who rallied around his campaign.
“We’re talking about working together and bringing people together. And that’s just not lip service,†Bell said.
First, Bell thanked the Ecumenical Leadership Council of Missouri, a coalition of about 400 Black churches that is politically active in social justice issues.
“They were one of my first endorsements†and “I’ve worked with them for years,†Bell said.
Then, he noted the “36 rabbis in this region†who endorsed him, an action he called “unprecedented.â€
Bell’s reference goes back to June, when the coalition of Jewish religious leaders announcing their support of Bell. The supporters included some noted liberal rabbis, such as Rabbi Susan Talve of Central Reform Congregation.
Bell’s run for the U.S. House likely would not have happened if not for Oct. 7, when terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel and killed about 1,200 civilians and kidnapped 240 others.
Bush, in her first response to the attack, called on the U.S. to stop its “support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.â€
Not only did her comment bring criticism from both Republican and Democratic colleagues in Congress, it placed the local Jewish community on high alert.
Rabbi Jeffrey Abraham of Congregation B’nai Amoona, one of the letter’s signers, said he was shocked by Bush’s response.
“Here it was, two days after the attack, and she is calling Israel genocidal,†Abraham said at Bell’s victory party.
“We tried to meet with her, time and time again, and she refused to even sit down and talked to us,†Abraham said.
And although Bush had consistently voted against U.S. aid to Israel, including for a defense system, Abraham said her response to Oct. 7 helped galvanize many in the local Jewish community.
Patty Bloom of Richmond Heights, a longtime active member of the Jewish Federation of ºüÀêÊÓƵ, agreed that Bush’s approach to the issue forced a response.
“We tried to have meaningful conversation with Cori Bush, but she was unwilling to show any empathy with the Jewish community,†Bloom said.
Bloom said that Bush’s posture convinced many Jews that “she just doesn’t care.â€
Those hard feelings proved to be strategically important to Tuesday’s race in the 1st District race, which was redrawn in 2022.
The new boundaries now include portions of several county municipalities — specifically University City, Creve Coeur, Olivette and Clayton — that have substantial Jewish populations.
The breakdown of the votes from those areas, according to maps derived from the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County election results, show those areas giving Bell a 20%-30% margin of victory, well above his 15% countywide margin.
Then, when Bell told the audience, “I want to thank our labor friends,†he did so with good reason.
A major thorn in Bush’s reelection side was her vote in late 2021 — a vote that several people at Bell’s party classified as a major mistake — against a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that included several major projects for the ºüÀêÊÓƵ area.
Bush was one of only six Democrats, all of them members of the progressive bloc known as the “Squad,†to oppose the plan.
Bush said her vote was a form of protest, because the administration dropped a separate bill of projects that she wanted passed.
Shortly after Bell called Bush’s explanation “twisted logic,†unions, especially those representing the building and industrial trades, began endorsing Bell.
That support appears in the strong showing Bell made in several blue-collar areas of north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, such as Ferguson, Hazelwood and Florissant.
And echoing members of the Jewish community, one labor leader said not only was Bush’s vote a problem, her unwillingness to talk with unions about it became a tipping point when endorsement time rolled around.
“She kept people waiting on an answer, kept saying she hadn’t made up her mind, when it really seemed like she’d already made up her mind,†said Clint McBride, government affairs director for Laborers Union Local 110 in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, the first major trade union to endorse Bell.
“It’s fine to have a difference of opinion. But when you won’t even sit down and talk about it, that’s a problem,†he said.
McBride said Bush’s statements after voting against the infrastructure bill also rubbed union members the wrong way.
“She said she was representing her district,†he said. “But there are a lot of union members living in her district.â€
Jake Hummel, executive director of the Missouri AFL-CIO, said his organization did not endorse either candidate, leaving the decision up to its member unions.
“You always have high hopes†when a new legislator is elected, Hummel said. “You hope things will be different, be better. And this bill was a defining moment, a once in a generation infrastructure project.â€
And when Bush ultimately voted against it, he said, “a lot of our members took it personally.â€
Bell will face Republican Andrew Jones in the Nov. 5 general election. The district, which includes ºüÀêÊÓƵ and parts of north and central ºüÀêÊÓƵ County, is heavily Democratic and hasn’t had a GOP representative in more than 70 years.
As for how he viewed his victory after accepting the nomination Tuesday night, Bell told the Post-Dispatch that voters ultimately grew dissatisfied with both Bush’s practical performance and polarizing personality.
Said Bell, “People want vision, not division.â€
Photos: Wesley Bell unseats U.S. Rep. Cori Bush to win Democratic primary
“... I’ve won and lost elections where I’ve been outspent. But I’ve never seen the kind of outside influence as I did in this year’s congressi…
Wesley Bell addresses the crowd after winning the Democratic congressional primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 at the Marriott Grand Hotel in downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ.
Wesley Bell supporter Shawntelle Fisher cheers for Bell as he wins the Democratic congressional primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024 at the Marriott Grand Hotel in downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ.