ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura O. Jones reflected despairingly on U.S. Rep. Cori Bush’s bitter loss to ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecutor Wesley Bell this week, wondering about consequences for her own political future and the region at large.
“This was ugly, and it didn’t have to be,†Jones wrote in a social media post.Ìý
The mayor’s remarks mirrored the disappointment many Bush supporters voiced in response to Tuesday’s primary election results, when Bell won the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District with help from a record-setting cash injection from pro-Israel groups.
Both candidates billed themselves as progressive liberal Democrats, and there was little daylight between them on many key issues, such as abortion rights and criminal justice reform. Both were likely to vote with Democratic House leadership most of the time.Ìý
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But the contours of the race were heavily influenced by the war in Gaza, sparked last year when Palestinian militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 civilians and taking more than 240 hostages. In the days afterward, Bush spoke out against retaliation and issued a call for “ending U.S. government support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.†Jewish advocacy organizations condemned her. And the pro-Israel lobby’s political machine spun up.Ìý
Bell, who had been running for U.S. Senate, pivoted to the House as it became clear Bush could be vulnerable. And the pro-Israel lobby poured more than $10 million into his campaign, paying for an onslaught of ads casting Bush as a self-centered, ineffective legislator, zeroing in her 2021 vote against President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill, which has pumped millions of dollars into local projects.Ìý
And it appeared to work, as Bell claimed at 51%-46% victory Tuesday, prompting an outpouring of despair from progressives who backed Bush. Organizers who helped Bell win his current job, ousting the prosecutor who declined to charge the white police officer who shot Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, said they felt betrayed for campaign cash.Ìý
Jones echoed those concerns in her writing this week.Ìý
“Confessions of a Black woman in politics: I’ve won and lost elections where I’ve been outspent,†she wrote. “But I’ve never seen the kind of outside influence as I did in this year’s congressional race.â€
She said the amount of money spent in the race by a single interest group should make people ask the question, “Who does this seat belong to?â€
Bell, for his part, has said that he would have won the race without . But his critics point out that before the Oct. 7 attacks, he was running a long-shot campaign for U.S. Senate.
Jones said she’s also wondering who the next target is.  “If one organization can convince us to take each other out, who will they recruit next?†she asked. “Will it be me because I supported Cori?â€
Jones is up for reelection in April and already faces challenges from Alderwoman Cara Spencer, who lost to Jones by four percentage points in 2021, and Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler.Ìý
Neither has yet drawn the interest of the national pro-Israel lobby. But Spencer outraised the mayor in the opening quarter of the campaign.
On the other hand, Bush won the city even as she lost the ºüÀêÊÓƵ County portion of the 1st District, a heartening result for city-based supporters.
But Jones said she also worried about what that divide may mean for the region.
While Jones has steered clear of a city-county merger, the third rail of regional politics, she has pushed for more regional cooperation on crime and homelessness. The city and surrounding counties recently agreed to set up a task force aimed at lowering homicides and, at Jones’ insistence, have begun discussing a strategy to address homelessness.Ìý
“We talk about regionalism, but the results of this election tell a different story,†she wrote. “What’s the way forward? Is that even possible?â€
Come join tomorrow to kick off a community canvass for me in Hyde Park! The election is just 11 days away, and every door we knock counts. Let's do this!
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush)