Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) is trailing her chief Democratic opponent in multiple ways this election cycle as a Justice Department investigation has made an already tough reelection fight even harder.
Bush is behind her main primary challenger, Wesley Bell, by 22 points in a New York Post poll reported earlier this month, and she is also behind him in cash on hand. Her campaign’s most recent filing showed $215,000 in the campaign chest in January, while Bell had $405,000 as of December, according to Fox News.
Bell, who is also considered a progressive Democrat, differs from Bush when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war. Bush has been one of the staunchest critics in Congress of Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack, while Bell has stood with Israel’s decision to defend itself.
“It is offensive to me that you would say that Israel defending itself is genocide. Genocide is intentionally trying to wipe out a people. And no reasonable person would say that is Israel’s intention,” Bell said in November. “Israel was attacked by a terrorist organization, who, in their charter, says that the destruction of Israel is their goal. They stated after this attack that they were going to do it again and again. They attacked people at a concert. Those were not military targets.”
The reports come as Bush faces a judicial investigation into her campaign finances, especially her expenditures on security, which includes payments to her husband Cortney Merritts. Merritts began receiving money from Bush in 2022, when the pair were dating rather than married. He has received $120,000 from Bush’s campaign.
Family members are allowed to receive compensation for any “bona fide” services if they did so at market value. But Merritts’s payments occurred while Bush’s campaign was also paying $770,000 for a private security detail from services such as PEACE Security, in St. Louis, Missouri.
“Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Bush said in response to the DOJ investigation. “As a rank-and-file member of Congress, I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services.”
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Bush said her campaign was “fully cooperating” with the investigations.
Bush and Bell will face off in the Democratic primary on Aug. 6.
