Representative Wesley Bell of Missouri, a moderate pro-Israel Democrat, fended off a primary challenge from a former congresswoman and democratic socialist on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, in a loss for the surging socialist movement.
Former Representative Cori Bush, Mr. Bell’s predecessor in the St. Louis district, had hoped to add to the high-profile victories that socialists have notched over Democratic incumbents this year in New York City and Denver.
But Mr. Bell, a former prosecuting attorney and city councilman, held on.
He rose to prominence after the 2014 protests in Ferguson, Mo., which erupted after a white police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager. In 2018, Mr. Bell ousted the county prosecutor who declined to indict the officer.
In 2024, amid a backlash against progressive politics, Mr. Bell took on Ms. Bush, a member of the so-called Squad — a group of progressive congresswomen of color — and an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. He defeated her in the Democratic primary, but since then, Democratic voters have shifted toward Ms. Bush’s tough stance on Israel, which gave her confidence in a potential comeback.
Her bid fell short, however, with Mr. Bell’s deep-pocketed allies spending heavily to stop her, just as they did in 2024. That included more than $2 million from a super PAC associated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel group. Mr. Bell’s allies painted Ms. Bush as ineffective and highlighted her vote against former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s infrastructure bill. Mr. Bell will be a heavy favorite in the safely Democratic district in November.
The loss was a setback for democratic socialists, who have gained a foothold in Democratic primaries this year as the party’s voters, fed up with establishment politicians, have shifted toward more liberal positions and the populist, outsider pitches of socialist candidates. In June, socialist candidates ousted three Democratic incumbents, including the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
The political careers of Mr. Bell and Ms. Bush, who are Black, were both shaped by the Ferguson protests; Ms. Bush was an activist and organizer of them.
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