Democrat Loses Big In Comeback Attempt

Former Rep. Cori Bush tried to stage a political comeback in Missouri on Tuesday.

Instead, voters handed her an even bigger defeat than the one she suffered two years ago.

With 99 percent of ballots counted Wednesday morning, incumbent Democratic Rep. Wesley Bell held 59.2 percent of the vote to Bush’s 36.9 percent. The Associated Press called the race Tuesday night.

That is not a close loss.

That is voters checking the return label and sending the package back.

Because Missouri’s 1st Congressional District leans heavily Democratic, Bell is now strongly positioned to win another term. Bush, meanwhile, is left to explain how her promised political revenge tour turned into a 22-point demolition.

Bush entered national politics after years as a nurse and activist. She became prominent during the 2014 unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, following the death of Michael Brown. After several unsuccessful campaigns, she won a congressional seat in 2020 and joined the progressive group commonly known as the “Squad.”

From there, the attention came quickly.

So did the controversies.

Bush became a vocal supporter of the “defund the police” movement while spending substantial campaign funds on private security. When critics pointed out the apparent contradiction, she showed little interest in apologizing.

The situation became even more uncomfortable when it emerged that one of the people receiving security payments, Cortney Merritts, was romantically involved with Bush and later became her husband.

According to the supplied reporting, Merritts did not hold an active security license during the period in question.

Bush’s campaign security spending later drew scrutiny from the Department of Justice, the Federal Election Commission, and the House Ethics Committee. The existence of an investigation does not establish wrongdoing, and Bush denied misusing campaign funds.