Progressive Squad member Cori Bush had a meltdown on stage Tuesday after losing her re-election bid.
The progressive Democrat became the second member of the Squad to be ousted after a fierce primary against a more moderate challenger who criticized Bush for his support of pro-Gaza protests.
Now she blames her defeat on the pro-Israel group AIPAC, which spent a staggering $9 million to fire her and then threatened to “take her down.”
She made her unbridled statements at a campaign rally in St. Louis, Missouri, where she stood on a stage in front of her supporters.
Pacing back and forth on stage and speaking so loudly that the microphone shook, the former Black Lives Matter organizer condemned “corporations” and AIPAC, accusing them of orchestrating her ouster.
Bush defiantly told the crowd that she was no longer bound by the propriety of Congress and that she now had “some strings in her hand.” [cut] “If she goes,” her opponents “will see this other Cori, this other side.”
Squad member Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., lost her Democratic primary to St. Louis-based Attorney General Wesley Bell. She addressed the crowd at her viewing party after her defeat, condemning the pro-Israel group AIPAC for plotting against her and “putting all these companies on notice” as well
Then, to loud applause, she shouted an ominous warning: “AIPAC, I am coming to destroy your kingdom.”
“By removing me from my position as a Congressman, you have simply pulled a few strings,” she exclaimed.
“Let’s get it straight, let’s get it straight, let’s get it straight,” Bush sings over and over, “let’s talk about it like it really is.”
Meanwhile, AIPAC celebrated Bush’s loss on Wednesday morning.
“AIPAC and our 4.5 million members were proud to help progressive, pro-Israel leader Wesley Bell defeat anti-Israel Squad member Rep. Cori Bush last night,” the group posted on X.
“Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics!”
The Missouri Democrat told the approving audience that she should now fear that her term in Congress was coming to an end.
“As much as I love my job, all they’ve done is radicalize me, so now they have to be afraid,” she said Tuesday night. “They’re going to see that other Cori, that other side.”
“And let me warn all these companies: I’m coming after you too. But I’m not coming alone. I’m coming with all the people who are here.”
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said. “I’m not afraid of anything… so if this happened, it happened.”
According to the Associated Press news agency, Bush was expected to lose three hours after polls closed, while she was behind by about five points.
Bush thanks her supporters after her Democratic primary loss to St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. Bush is the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri
The crowd enjoyed Bush’s fiery antics at her campaign party on Tuesday, cheering and applauding her loudly as she threatened AIPAC and defiantly warned corporations
Wesley Bell addresses the crowd after winning the Democratic congressional primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Cori Bush on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, at the Marriott Grand Hotel in downtown St. Louis. Bush criticized Bell for his support of pro-Israel groups. AIPAC congratulated Bell on his victory on Tuesday
“I am committed to serving the St. Louis region in Congress with integrity, transparency and dedication,” Bell said in a statement after his victory.
‘Together we will tackle the challenges of the future and build a community in which everyone has the opportunity to flourish.’
Another member of the quad, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., also lost his primary earlier this summer to a more moderate Democrat.
Bush faced millions in outside money poured into her race by pro-Israel groups opposed to her outspoken pro-Palestinian stance.
“Wesley Bell’s victory and Cori Bush’s defeat underscore what we’ve seen in elections across the country and throughout this election cycle: Being pro-Israel is not just sound policy, it’s smart politics,” said Mark Mellman, chairman of the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC, in a statement.
Like Bush’s race against Bell, Bowman’s race in New York revolved around a major issue: the war between Israel and Hamas.
(L-R) U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, and U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, Democrat of Missouri, hold signs reading “Stop Sending Bombs” and “Lasting Ceasefire Now” as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 7, 2024
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., joined by students from George Washington University, speak during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, May 8, 2024, in Washington, after police cleared a pro-Palestinian tent camp near George Washington University early Wednesday morning and arrested protesters.
Bowman, a fellow Squad member (at least for now, before he leaves Congress this winter), fiercely defended the Palestinians and condemned the Israelis’ actions as “genocide.”
His reward for his repeated attacks on the Jewish people during the war: a pro-Israel SuperPAC that descended on him.
AIPAC, a pro-Israel political group, spent a huge amount of money fighting Bowman, pumping millions into the campaign of a local administrator.
With the group’s support, George Latimer, a moderate Democrat and Westchester County executive, won an easy primary victory, taking more than 59 percent of the vote, compared to Bowman’s 40 percent.
According to AP, AIPAC’s political wing spent $8.5 million on Bush’s race.
The pro-Israel group spent nearly $15 million on Bowman’s race.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., another Squad member facing a neck-and-neck re-election race, holds her primary next Tuesday.
