Bell raises nearly three times as much as Bush in Missouri primary
Bell entered the final weeks of the race with a major financial advantage. Federal Election Commission filings show he had raised $3.6 million to Bush’s $1.3 million, and as of mid‑July he still held more than $1 million in cash on hand compared with roughly $98,000 for Bush. Outside groups have added to the disparity: the Aipac‑aligned United Democracy Project spent $2.1 million on ads opposing Bush, and the New Democrat Majority super PAC, which supports centrist Democrats, spent about $700,000 backing Bell, according to AdImpact data cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Bush’s campaign ads have portrayed her as a fighter not beholden to special interests. Aipac spokeswoman Deryn Sousa told the Journal that Bell is a “serious, principled leader who pro‑Israel Americans are proud to support.”
Bush said in an interview with the Journal that she wants to “go in and get back to work” and has been “frustrated with the Democratic caucus because I feel like we can do so much more,” pointing to the need to protect abortion rights and to combat Project 2025 government cuts. In her 2024 concession speech, she said of Aipac: “I’m coming to tear your kingdom down.”
Bell, 51, a former prosecutor, said he supports Israel but is critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Last month he voted against an amendment, backed by about half of House Democrats, that would have stripped military aid from Israel.
Kenneth Warren, a pollster and professor of political science at Saint Louis University, told the Journal the race is expected to be close. “You don’t spend that kind of money unless you’re worried,” Warren said. He also said some voters perceive Bell as too friendly with Republicans and the city’s business interests.
Voters along the district’s economic divide offered sharply different views. Bush’s strongest support comes from St. Louis’s poorest neighborhoods, while Bell draws his backing from wealthier St. Louis County suburbs, the Journal reported.
Demoine Smith, 58, told the Journal he backs Bush: “I don’t feel Wesley Bell is actually doing anything for the citizens of the city of St. Louis. Cori was working for us.”
Angela Roffle, 67, a self‑described progressive, told the Journal she is not voting for Bush this time. She said she reached out to Bush’s congressional office in 2024 for help getting passports for her family and never received a reply. “I didn’t see anything that she did that was substantive to make me say, ‘Yeah, I want Cori back,’” Roffle said. Bush, asked about the complaint, told the Journal that she had pushed the State Department to address passport‑processing delays and that her office may not have always responded promptly. She said she wanted to “personally extend my apologies” to Roffle.
Robert Bianco, 65, told the Journal he supports Bell because of his career as a prosecutor, though he described Bell’s deep support for Israel as “a bit disturbing.”
Laneisha Hoke, 27, a member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 42, attended a union meeting where Bell received heavy applause, the Journal reported. She said the union is backing Bell but that she is supporting Bush. “She’s not perfect, but I’m familiar with Cori Bush. Wesley Bell is a Democrat but he seems disingenuous,” Hoke said.
St. Louis is recovering from a deadly tornado that caused $1.6 billion in damage, the Journal noted. Bush said Bell abandoned residents and did not fight hard enough for relief funding; Bell said the region has received more than $200 million in federal relief. “We know that’s not enough. The whole disaster relief system is broken,” Bell said.
During her four years in Congress, Bush missed more than 240 votes, according to GovTrack, significantly more than most House members; she has cited personal and health reasons. In 2024, she said the Justice Department was investigating whether her campaign had improperly paid her husband to provide personal security; she denied that her campaign had improperly paid her husband for personal security, and she was not charged with a crime. She also voted against the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill, explaining that the spending should not have been separated from the broader Build Back Better proposal. That vote drew criticism from business and labor groups.