ST. LOUIS — Former state lawmaker Maria Chappelle-Nadal announced Tuesday she will challenge U.S. Rep. Cori Bush in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District.
She joins ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell who also is hoping to unseat Bush, a two-term incumbent facing a Justice Department investigation over her handling of campaign money.
Chappelle-Nadal, a Democrat who more recently worked as an aide to ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days, said that ºüÀêÊÓƵ needed “a real choice†besides Bush, “who has created more controversy than progress since we sent her to Washington,†and Bell, “a Republican plant who’s failed at the biggest job he’s ever held.â€
“It’s time to have a conversation about effective public service for our country, and that’s why I’m running for Congress,†she said.
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Chappelle-Nadal, 49, served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2005-2011, the Missouri Senate from 2011 to 2019, and the House again from 2019-2021.
Described as a relentless and controversial legislator, she was central in raising awareness about the need for cleaning up radioactive waste in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ region, and known for filibustering bills she felt were harmful.
She also took part in Ferguson protests in 2014 following the police killing of Michael Brown, advocating on behalf of activists seeking police reform.
She spurred controversy in 2017 after she called for the assassination of former President Donald Trump on the platform formerly known as Twitter. She apologized for the post and removed it. Later that year, she leveled insults at a fellow legislator and five lobbyists, calling them “baby killers†who should “burn in hell†for opposing legislation that would have provided state buyouts for constituents who live near the radioactive West Lake landfill.
She went to work for Days, a former political ally in 2020, but the two politicians had a falling out.
Chappelle-Nadal claimed she was fired for expressing her political view and that ºüÀêÊÓƵ County failed to properly accommodate her mental health disability. She reached a $77,000 settlement with the county in 2023.
In her campaign launch video, she said, “I have more legislative experience than Cori Bush and Wesley Bell combined.â€