Among the big winners in Missouri’s primaries on Tuesday was moderation.
In a Democratic congressional race viewed nationally as a referendum on the far-left klatch of House members known as the Squad, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush of ºüÀêÊÓƵ was soundly defeated by ºüÀêÊÓƵ County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, who has vowed a more pragmatic approach to the job.
In the Republican primary for governor, the two most extreme right-wing ideologues were bested by Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is about the closest thing to a moderate that today’s Missouri GOP has to offer.
People are also reading…
And Democratic voters in the U.S. Senate primary wisely nominated former U.S. Marine Lucas Kunce — who they had less wisely rejected two years ago in favor of a more traditional Democrat — to challenge Republican Sen. Josh Hawley in November.
If extremism of the MAGA and Squad varieties can be likened to a fever that has wracked Missouri’s body politic the last few years, Tuesday’s primaries might be a promising sign the fever is breaking on both the left and right.
The Bush-Bell contest is being viewed by national media as part of a trend toward such a resetting. As put it late Tuesday, “[A]ll eyes were on Ms. Bush to see if she would be the next member of the ultraliberal ‘squad’ to see defeat.†Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., also lost his primary re-nomination bid in June.
Bush, like Bowman and other hard-left House progressives, has staked out positions on the Gaza conflict that at times have been not merely critical of Israel but seemingly supportive of Hamas terrorists — an accurate description of the organization that Bush nonetheless during a recent Times interview.
The pro-Israel lobby spent millions to help defeat Bush, but she also suffered self-inflicted setbacks, like her ill-advised vote against the Biden administration’s infrastructure package for what amounted to an ideological protest.
ºüÀêÊÓƵ needs a responsible representative in Congress, not a perpetual protester. Though Bell came up through the same progressive Ferguson movement that Bush did, he has shown the maturity and moderation to make a good congressman.
Bell is all but assured election in November in the heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District. Kunce, conversely, would pull a stunning upset if he were to unseat Hawley in the Senate race, simply by virtue of his party. No statewide office in Missouri is currently held by a Democrat and there’s little indication that will change soon.
But in nominating Kunce, the state’s Democrats have taken an important step toward showing they understand they can’t keep elevating California-style liberals and expecting to woo the conservative rural electorate that effectively runs the table.
Kunce holds what we consider the right positions on reproductive rights, responsible gun policies and health care. But his modest personal story, military background and centrist bearing could allow him to connect to average Missourians. We look forward to seeing him give Hawley a run for his money.
The new Democratic nominee for governor, state House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, could similarly connect to independent voters with her working-class background and impressive legislative leadership.
The Editorial Board’s endorsement of businessman Mike Hamra wasn’t a criticism of Quade; it was the toughest choice we faced and amounted to a Hail Mary-suggestion to give a starkly different kind of Democrat a try. But Quade is whip-smart, accomplished and has an engaging persona that should appeal to all kinds of voters.
She also has a Republican opponent who, like her, seems unlikely to drag the race into the mud.
We don’t agree much with Republican gubernatorial nominee Kehoe on policy, but it’s difficult to imagine him engaging in the ham-handed demagoguery and crass dishonesty that primary opponent Jay Ashcroft did on issues like library content and abortion rights. And it’s even harder to imagine the mild-mannered Kehoe wielding a flamethrower in his campaign ads like state Sen. Bill Eigel did. Kudos to Republican voters for picking the best of the options they had.
If only they’d had better choices in the attorney general’s race. Alas, incumbent Andrew Bailey, who has politicized and misused his office (and the court system) to an unprecedented extent, easily beat challenger Will Scharf, who showed every indication of being just as extreme.
Republican voters this fall should review our ongoing “Bailey Tally“ of his worst offenses and consider that, if there’s any candidate who merits crossing party lines for the simple reason that he brazenly abuses his power instead of doing his job, it’s Bailey.
On to November.