The Cori Bush Comeback? Ex-Squad Member Hopes To Ride Left-Wing Wave Back To Congress

Former Rep. Cori Bush is attempting a political comeback in the 2026 midterms, hoping to reclaim Missouri’s deep-blue 1st Congressional District from the Democrat who unseated her two years ago.

Bush, a former member of the far-left Squad, is challenging Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) in a rematch of the expensive 2024 Democratic primary. Because the St. Louis-area district is overwhelmingly Democratic, the winner of Tuesday’s primary is heavily favored to return to Washington in January.

The race has become yet another test of whether the Democratic Party’s recent leftward shift — fueled by victories from left-wing and Democratic-Socialist candidates in cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Denver — extends towards one of the movement’s most recognizable national figures.

Bush’s campaign also revives one of the Democratic Party’s most contentious internal divides: support for Israel.

When Bell defeated Bush in 2024, the race became one of the most expensive House primaries in American history after pro-Israel groups, led by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s United Democracy Project, poured $9.3 million into the contest. Bush had become one of Congress’ most outspoken critics of Israel after introducing one of the first congressional resolutions calling for a ceasefire following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 terrorist attack.

Bell has continued backing military assistance for Israel while arguing the United States must support allies confronting hostile regimes. “I think we have to support our allies not only in Israel, but in Taiwan and in Ukraine,” Bell said during a recent joint appearance with Bush. “They are on the front lines of our sworn enemies.”

Over the past year, several insurgent Democratic candidates who criticized party leadership and took hard-line positions against U.S. support for Israel have won competitive primaries, leading progressives to argue that voters are increasingly rewarding candidates willing to challenge the Democratic establishment.

For their part, establishment Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) have endorsed Bell’s reelection. Bell has argued that his first term demonstrates he can effectively work within Congress while delivering results for the district, particularly following the devastating tornado that struck St. Louis in 2025.

Bush has countered that Bell has failed to provide the aggressive leadership voters expected, criticizing what she characterizes as an inadequate response to the tornado recovery effort and arguing the district needs a more confrontational representative willing to challenge both Republicans and Democratic leadership.

“The fight does not end because I got my feelings hurt,” Bush told supporters. “If you’re a true fighter, you get knocked down, and I got back up.”

Bush first rose to national prominence as an activist during the 2014 Ferguson protests following the police shooting of Michael Brown before defeating longtime Democratic Rep. William Lacy Clay in 2020. During her two terms in Congress, she became one of the most recognizable members of the Squad alongside Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).

Her tenure frequently put her at odds with Democratic leadership. Bush opposed former President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure package, advocated defunding police departments, slept on the Capitol steps to protest the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium, and became one of Congress’ earliest and loudest critics of Israel.

Bell continues to support military assistance for Israel while Bush remains committed to cutting it off, making the issue one of the few major policy differences separating the candidates, who agree on many domestic issues.

For the left, a Bush victory would mark the return of one of the movement’s original national standard-bearers and suggest the Democratic Party’s activist base continues moving leftward after several high-profile primary victories around the country.

For Democratic leadership, another Bell victory would reinforce the coalition that removed Bush from office in 2024 and demonstrate that establishment-backed incumbents can still withstand challenges from the party’s activist wing.

The Missouri primaries are scheduled for Tuesday, August 4.