NORMANDY 鈥 狐狸视频 County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said Monday he is ending his campaign for U.S. Senate, and will instead challenge U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in next year鈥檚 Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District.
鈥淲ith the world in a dangerous place, we need steady and effective leadership,鈥 Bell said. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e not getting it.鈥
Bell said he decided to switch races at the urging of Democrats who said 鈥渨e need you in Washington, but 狐狸视频 needs you in the House of Representatives.鈥
Bell made his surprise announcement at a press conference Monday morning at The SoulFisher Ministries, a Normandy-based nonprofit.
The contest will pit two veterans of the Ferguson unrest in 2014 against each other: Bush was an activist who helped lead protests; and Bell was elected to the Ferguson City Council in 2015.
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Bush campaign manager Devon Moody, in a statement, called it 鈥渄isheartening鈥 that Bell would abandon his bid to become Missouri鈥檚 first Black senator and 鈥渋nstead decided to target Missouri鈥檚 first Black congresswoman.鈥
Moody said Bush would continue to put forward 鈥渁 bold, progressive vision.鈥
The 1st Congressional District, which includes all of 狐狸视频 and much of north 狐狸视频 County, is solidly Democratic and about 50% African American. A Republican hasn鈥檛 represented the district in more than 50 years.
Bell鈥檚 withdrawal from a four-person Democratic primary, which will pick a challenger to Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, is a move that has been frequently discussed recently in political circles 鈥 but not necessarily predicted to actually happen.
The talk of challenging Bush 鈥 a high-profile member of a group of progressive Democrats nicknamed 鈥淭he Squad鈥 鈥 began picking up steam in early 2023, when questions about her campaign management surfaced.
In April, ethics complaints were filed after Bush鈥檚 campaign continued to employ Cortney Merritts III as a security specialist after he and Bush were married in February. One of the complaints was dismissed last week by the Office of Congressional Ethics, Bush鈥檚 office said.
Also, recent campaign reports show that the Bush campaign is cash-strapped and running in the red 鈥 in debt about $130,000, with less than $20,000 in cash on hand.
Bell already has a monetary lead over Bush. His most recent campaign finance report, for the U.S. Senate race, shows that he has $88,000 in cash on hand and no outstanding debt.
Then in the last three weeks, Bush has been drawing criticism for statements she made after Hamas鈥 attack on Israel, statements that those critics found to be sympathetic to Hamas.
Unexpected moves
This is not the first surprise Bell has dropped upon the politics of the region this year.
In April, shortly after saying on public television that he did not have his eye on any higher office in the near future, Bell announced he would seek the Democratic senate nomination.
The move was unexpected because the field already had a far more well-funded candidate in Lucas Kunce, who had statewide campaign experience from a 2022 run for the seat eventually won by former state Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Further complicating Bell鈥檚 challenge of Kunce was an entry into the race by state Sen. Karla May of 狐狸视频, who has made many statewide connections from her 14 years in the state Legislature.
Bell made a big splash on the political-office scene in 2018, when as a clear underdog, he defeated seven-term incumbent Robert P. McCulloch. He was reelected in 2022 to a four-year term.
Bush鈥檚 surprise appearance on the 狐狸视频 political stage came in 2020, when she defeated longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay. Clay had represented the district for 20 years; his father, Bill Clay, represented the district for 32.
Bush survived a challenge in 2022 from state Sen. Steve Roberts, whose campaign was hobbled by past allegations of sexual misconduct.
This time around, Bush would have to face opposition, both local and national, over statements that some have labeled as anti-Semitic, as opposed to pro-Palestine.
Controversy over Israel
On Sunday, Bush continued her inflammatory remarks about Israel, accusing them of conducting an 鈥渆thnic cleansing campaign ... slaughtering鈥 and carrying out 鈥渁trocities against Palestinians.鈥
We can鈥檛 be silent about Israel鈥檚 ethnic cleansing campaign.
鈥 Congresswoman Cori Bush (@RepCori)
Babies, dead.
Pregnant women, dead.
Elderly, dead.
Generations of families, dead.
Millions of people in Gaza with nowhere to go being slaughtered.
The U.S. must stop funding these atrocities against Palestinians.
The powerful 鈥 a well-funded lobbying group known for directing funds against candidates it deems unfriendly to Israeli interests 鈥 has publicly lambasted Bush for her recent stances on Israel.
Last week, a new Washington, D.C., political action group, Political Pivot, began promoting an effort to defeat Bush in the 2024 primary. The group was founded by Robert Schwartz, a 狐狸视频 native.
Bush鈥檚 district includes several municipalities with a substantial Jewish population, including University City, Creve Coeur, Olivette and part of Clayton.
Bell on Monday was sharply critical of Bush鈥檚 position on Israel: 鈥淲e can鈥檛 give aid and comfort to terrorists, and Hamas is a terrorist organization.鈥
When asked if he had been contacted by Jewish organizations about running against Bush, Bell confirmed he had before quickly adding that other groups, notably Black and Asian affiliations, had been talking with him about the move.
Bell said Bush鈥檚 statements about the Israel-Hamas conflict 鈥渋s not what the majority of Democrats feel is the appropriate response.鈥
While saying that the U.S. should support a two-state solution in the Middle East, he added that 鈥渨e have to stand with our allies.鈥
In Bush鈥檚 statement, her campaign noted that Bush 鈥渨ill keep pushing forward a pro-狐狸视频, pro-democracy, pro-peace agenda. No matter who enters the race and when, that focus will not change,鈥 the statement said.
Bell also took Bush to task for her well-publicized backing of the 鈥渄efund the police鈥 effort popular with some progressive legislators.
He called the effort, 鈥渘ot only misguided, but it hurt the Democrats. It gave Republicans the 鈥渞ed meat they needed鈥 to take control of the U.S. House in 2022.
Updated at 2:42 p.m. with a response from the Bush campaign.