Representative Cori Bush (D., Mo.), the progressive “Squad” member who recently stopped short of calling Hamas a terrorist organization, lost a competitive House primary bid Tuesday night against St. Louis County prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who positioned himself as a pro-Israel alternative during the race.

The Associated Press called Bell’s primary victory at 11 p.m. EDT. He will now vie for Bush’s place in the House come November, facing the winner of Tuesday’s GOP primary in a district that President Joe Biden won by more than 60 points in 2020.

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) lost her Democratic primary on Tuesday, shrinking the ranks of the House’s left-wing “Squad” and delivering another major victory to the pro-Israel and business-friendly groups that backed her challenger.

Wesley Bell, the St. Louis County prosecutor, defeated Bush. Since Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, which includes all of St. Louis and many of its northern and western suburbs, is overwhelmingly Democratic, Bell is all but assured of a seat in Congress come November.

Democratic congresswoman and "Squad" member Cori Bush has lost her primary race in Missouri, according to US media projections.

Wesley Bell, a St Louis prosecutor, will instead be the party's candidate in the state's first congressional district this November.

Ms Bush came to prominence as an organiser in the Black Lives Matter movement and, after taking office in 2021, as one of the "Squad" of Democratic members of the House known for supporting progressive causes.

Progressives suffered a major blow in Tuesday night’s primaries as Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) became the second “squad” member to lose to a challenger this cycle. 

Coming just hours after Vice President Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in a move seen as a win for the progressive wing of the party, Bush’s loss put internal party frictions over the Israel-Hamas war on full display.

Voters in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District will head to the polls Tuesday as Rep. Cori Bush fights to hold on to her seat in the Democratic primary against St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell, who is backed by a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group. The race between two liberal Black candidates in this district gets to the heart of a fissure within the Democratic Party over the United States’ unwavering support of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.

Congressional Democrats are cautiously coming to one conclusion: We’re no longer doomed.

President Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race breathed new life in the fight for control of Congress, and the party’s candidates said they feel like they once again have a real chance at winning. Within 24 hours, many of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents coalesced behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee, eager to project unity after weeks of chaos.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries‘s (D-NY) spokeswoman mocked Justice Democrats’ attempt to pin Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) primary loss on him.

Bowman lost to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who campaigned as a contrast to Bowman’s stance on Israel and the congressman’s antics in the House of Representatives. Justice Democrats, a hard-left group that supported Bowman, attempted to blame the House’s Democratic leader — Jeffries.

Desperate Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) enlisted heavy artillery from his party’s progressive wing for a weekend rally in the Bronx to try to shore up his flailing re-election bid — but viral clips of the event’s cringey on-stage antics show the last-ditch effort backfired badly.

Footage from Saturday’s campaign rally at St. Mary’s Park in Mott Haven showed the severely struggling incumbent and fellow “Squad’ member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) acting like buffoons on the stage, gifting the internet with heaps of unintentional humor.

The campaign texts with eye-roll inducing openers like “NOT ASKING FOR $” or “The 600% MATCH won’t last forever” are flooding all of our phones these days. 

Jim Laws, a 70-year-old retired anesthetist in West Palm Beach, Fla., received a text in early June with a link to a survey about the state of the nation. The message said the sender wasn’t asking for money.