Something truly wrong, dishonest, and just plain wicked happened in Missouri’s recent congressional primary election. To all who value voting rights and democracy, please take pause to read how Cori Bush, one of the most progressive members of Congress, lost her bid for reelection. She is a frontline activist to save Black lives, a formerly unhoused single mother of two, a nurse, a survivor, and a pastor who while in office championed legislation including housing for all, an end to houselessness, reproductive and abortion rights, healthcare for all, rent moratoriums, a Gaza ceasefire, while always taking care of the urgent daily needs facing St Louisans. Megadonors of the far-right American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and the United Democracy Project, both super PACs, bought her election.
And Cori Bush was not the first. “The same forces who recently targeted Jamaal Bowman for his unwavering commitment to human rights poured $15 million into my opponent’s campaign,” said Congresswoman Bush in a recent newsletter to supporters. “It’s obvious that right-wing megadonors fear unbought, unbossed democratically elected Black candidates like Jamaal and myself. They are threatened by our fight for racial and economic justice, Medicare for all, climate action, and a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.”
“They don’t like the real, progressive changes we bring to the communities we love,” said the Congresswoman, who was among the first in Congress to courageously call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Her opponent, Wesley Bell, by contrast, described Bush’s comments about Israel as “wrong and offensive,” according to Associated Press. Bell’s campaign, flush with AIPAC money, unleashed a barrage of media attacks on Bush for her humanitarianism. “Jamaal’s defeat and my own are stark reminders,” she said, “of the immense power of far-right super PACs like AIPAC and their billionaire backers. But let me make one thing clear: They may have taken away my position as Congresswoman, but they just pulled the strings off.” Bush told audiences that the fight for justice for the people was only beginning.
History will show that Congresswoman Bush is on the right side of history. She took the moral high ground, doing what she knew was right. What happened poses questions for all of us: Is it right that our elections can be determined by the amount of money billionaires donate to candidates of their choice? And, is it right that foreign interests, under the guise of being U.S. PACs, have such enormous influence over the livelihood of everyday people in our country?
The excerpts below from Bush’s concession speech force these questions to the forefront.
Amidst chants of “What’s the word? Sold Out. What’s the word? Sold Out. What’s the word? Sold Out,” Congresswoman Bush told her crowd of supporters, “I love you [even] more.“ While this pulls me away from my position as Congresswoman, let’s be clear. Now I don’t have to worry about some strings attached to me. As much as I love my job, all they did was radicalize me. Because I grew up a whole lot more over the last few weeks. And I know that nothing that happens in my life happens in vain. So, if this happened, it’s because it was meant to happen. And let me say [that it happened] because of the work that I do.” She assured people that the fight was just beginning.
“My issue is my people not getting what they need. And whether I’m a congresswoman or not, I’m still taking care of my people. And, let me say this. Because your side [her opponent’s] was so weak, you had to spend millions. When I unseated a 52-year family dynasty [to win her first election], we did it with $2 million because we spoke about who we are and what we planned to do. And we came from a place of integrity and character. Deceit and distortion cost a lot of money. It costs a lot of money to lie.
“And so, to the people of St. Louis, to the people of the First District, let me give y’all some encouragement: Every time I stand on the House floor, or I speak in a committee hearing, you all know that the first words out of my mouth are, ‘St. Louis And I Rise.’ St. Louis, I rise to say thank you to all the people who showed up and who support me and this incredible team and the vision that we have for our future. A future that works for all of us.
“We need to build the community back. We have to be one St. Louis. And, so I hope [my opponent] actually takes the time to learn about our Palestinian and our Arab and our Muslim communities; that he actually speaks to you. And that he sees the beauty in what we have created. That it transcends our ethnic backgrounds and our religions and the way that we have been able to do that. In this race, you all were unlike anything St. Louis has ever seen.
“The flood of outside Republican money into this District, this Democratic district, was staggering. This was the second most expensive congressional race in our nation’s history. Nineteen million dollars. That’s how much they spent in this race. They sought to divide us. But we’ve always been clear that St. Louis is a vibrant and resilient community. One that refuses to be undermined. One that won’t be taken for granted. And together, we will continue to rise and stand up against the far-right Republican extremism. We’ll stand as a beacon of hope and light for human rights for all people. We’ll keep doing that. I will keep doing that work. This team will keep doing that. We’ll continue to fight for the rights of all people, no matter the race, the faith, or the background, the ethnicity, the religion, the age, the occupation, the gender identity. We will stand up for what is right, no matter the cost. It’s going to propel us forward.
“We always fight for our unhoused communities, our elders, our children, our families, our veterans. We will keep supporting a free Palestine, a free Congo, a free Sudan. And keep opposing genocide and human rights abuses worldwide. We will always stand up for the safety, for the dignity, for the self-determination of all people — from St. Louis to Palestine and Israel, to Bosnia, to India and everywhere else. We will always keep it real and we’ll always keep the truth. And I’m going to continue to act with the dedication that you all have seen. I will continue to work to bridge divides and address your concerns and build a stronger, more unified community.
“And so, St. Louis, serving as your Congress member has been the joy of my life. I’m not done yet. And so, let me lastly say this. You all have been what has undergirded me and what has strengthened me. And to all the little kids that have come up to me over even the last week, the little Black girls that see themselves in me, and all those that see something in me, let me say this to you. We did not fail. You did not fail. You keep rising. You keep going after what God has given you to go after. You keep fighting. You hold fast to who you are and what you believe because this is only the beginning. And so, so all of my youth watching, to all of this team, again, this is only the beginning. Thank you all so much. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for trusting in me. And again, this is only the beginning.”
