Former Rep. Cori Bush launched her campaign to return to Congress at a rally outside the St. Louis courthouse where the Dred Scott slavery case was argued in 1847, the Associated Press reported. Bush portrayed her earlier primary defeat as a historic setback she intends to reverse.
“We’re standing here saying, send back that descendant, send her back to the place that enslaved people built,” Bush said, according to the AP. “This is our moment.” The crowd chanted “send her back.”
The AP described Bush as a progressive firebrand who started her political career as a Black Lives Matter organizer in Ferguson. She served two terms before losing a primary challenge to Wesley Bell, a moderate local prosecutor. The two are now locked in an intense rematch.
The AP reported that the contest will serve as one of the clearest referendums on Democrats’ shifting political landscape, including anger at the party establishment, rising skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel, and the growing clout of democratic socialists.