DISCLAIMER: This piece is not intended to sway votes or influence electoral judgment. It aims to present unbiased information about each candidate, their policies, affiliations, and objectively analyze these in the context of their impact on Black & brown communities.
Background
St. Louis voters have set historic precedents in recent elections by challenging entrenched power. By electing Wesley Bell as County Prosecutor in 2018, they ousted a nearly 30-year Incumbent County Prosecutor Bob McColluch. When they elected Cori Bush in 2020, they elected Missouri’s first Black woman Representative to Congress. Both Bell and Bush would attribute grassroots activism as their approach to politics. It was the 2014 uprisings following the murder of Mike Brown by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson that served as a tipping point for many and ultimately catapulted both Bush and Bell into political prominence. Fast-forward to 2024, and Bell is now challenging Bush for her seat in the House. While the two may share a connection to the uprisings in 2014, their paths to the upcoming Primary Election delineates stark differences.
Up until October, Wesley Bell was set to run a U.S. Senate campaign. A Senate run would have positioned Bell to go up against democrat Lucas Kunce in the primaries and ultimately republican Josh Hawley in November. Following the events on October 7 in 2023, Bell abruptly dropped out of the Senate race to set his eyes on Bush’s house seat. In fact, Bell announced his run for 1st Congressional District Candidate just mere weeks after Cori Bush introduced the Ceasefire Now Resolution on October 16 last year. The sudden shift in Bell’s political maneuver is no coincidence. A closer look at his history, supporters, and campaign donors will outline his true motivation for pursuing Bush’s congressional seat.
Targeted for Pro-Palestine & Anti-Genocide Positions
It is no secret that Cori Bush is a voice for Palestinian autonomy and liberation. Bush has proven herself an advocate for Black-Palestinian solidarity over the years, recognizing the policing and surveillance of Black people in her district and israel’s unjust occupation in Palestine as one in the same.
As a notable opposition against the ongoing U.S. funded genocide, Bush became an easy target for pro-israel supporters and Zionist organizations. Her opposition is now utilizing Bell—a perceived activist with leftist ideologies—to replace a voice that has stood and continues to stand against genocide and oppression with a voice puppeteered by handlers with an imperialist agenda.
AIPAC & Pro-israel Lobbyists Dole Massive Donations in Attempt to Unseat Cori Bush
Bell’s campaign has the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee known as AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC. According to St. Louis Public Radio, Bell has “several million dollars of outside support” from these pro-israel groups. Last March, AIPAC donated a record-high $4 million of its expected $100 million spending to challengers against progressive candidates. Bell was one the top two recipients of that contribution, receiving roughly $387,000 towards his race against Bush.
In an online article published by Jacobin, writer Branko Marcetic explains how these large donations are not only “punishment” for progressive leaders like Bush, Jamaal Bowman, and Rashida Tlaib who oppose the U.S. funded imperial agenda and genocide of Palestinians, but also “a campaign to unseat those lawmakers whose economic vision threatens the bottom line of Wall Street and corporate America”
Wesley’s Bail Background
Wesley Bell has spent the majority of his career employed by the criminal legal system. He started off as a public defender before serving as a municipal judge and city council member, and was most notably elected prosecuting attorney of St. Louis County. As a reformist prosecutor, Bell still relies on punishment and punitive measures to address harm. This very approach upholds the system of oppression rather than dismantling it.
During his tenure as a municipal judge in Velda City–for instance–Bell faced warranted scrutiny about the city’s existing and exploitative cash bail system. According to HuffPost, Velda City–a small town that doesn’t have its own jail–generates more revenue from court fines and fees than the city generates from property tax revenue. Bell claims that he never felt pressure to generate more revenue, but for Velda City and other towns with a majority Black population, tickets and municipality fees generated lucrative revenue.
In 2015, a lawsuit was brought against Velda City and–what some called–its “debtors’ prison”. This carceral process implored cops to make arrests for municipal code violations. The city then leveraged its fixed cash bail system to hold arrestees in a neighboring city’s jail until cash payment was received. Those who could not make bail would be held for three days without a court appearance. It wasn’t until a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed against the city and Bell in April 2015 that Velda City decided to end its exploitative bail system.
After being elected as County Prosecutor in 2018, Bell made promises to eliminate cash bail for low-level and nonviolent felonies. In a 2021 interview with NPR, Bell doubled-down on that sentiment when speaking on drug possession saying, “…we understand that treatment is more effective and impactful for that individual than jail time.” However, a 43-page report released by a coalition of racial justice groups in St. Louis details a different story and highlights Bell’s failed promise.
In their Prosecutor Watch report, members of the coalition–Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, Freedom Community Center, and others–explain that at the end of Bell’s first term as County Prosecutor 70% of the jail population was made up of those unable to afford their own bail. Additionally, the report states, “Today, however, over 950 people are incarcerated pretrial—the highest number in years.”
Cori’s Community Work
Prior to launching a political career in 2016, Cori Bush dedicated the majority of her time to advocating and helping others. She is a registered nurse who founded and pastored Kingdom Embassy International Church. In 2014, Bush turned to activism during the Ferguson uprisings. During the unrest, she organized with others to provide health care services and food and eventually found herself directly engaged in the uprisings. As the daughter of a politician, Bush vowed to never enter politics. Fueled by the events in Ferguson and with encouragement from community members, Bush’s political pivot became a testament to her commitment to advocating for the oppressed.
In 2016, Bush fell short in the Senate primary race. Despite defeat, Bush continued her work on the ground speaking out about the mysterious murders of Ferguson protesters following the uprisings in 2014 and providing service as a nurse and pastor. In 2017, Bush organized protests and marches after St. Louis cop Jason Stockley was acquitted of first-degree murder charges for killing Anthony Lamar Smith nearly six years prior. Two years after her senate defeat, Bush would fall short again in the 2018 primary House race against 10-term incumbent William Lacy Clay. Even then, Bush maintained her commitment to the community and her efforts persisted.
In 2018, Bush spoke publicly about the four St. Louis cops who were indicted on charges related to beating an undercover colleague the year before during the Stockley protests. “Now officers will start to see they may be accountable for their actions,” Bush said.
In a 2019 article published with Refinery29, Bush penned a letter speaking candidly about what she learned during her 2018 campaign.
“Working people who must live in communities abandoned by out-of-touch leaders are best suited to represent them.” She wrote. “True democracy is about leadership full of people who look just like us.”
In 2020, Bush stuck true to her #RunAsYouAre campaign and made history becoming the first Black woman in congress to represent Missouri.
Motives over Morals
On October 7 2023, the Palestinian resistance group known as Hamas carried out an attack against israel in response to the decades-long illegal occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. In the days that followed, israel launched relentless airstrikes, carpet bombing attacks, and raids throughout the Palestinian homeland. Shortly after, Cori Bush led the charge in calling for a permanent ceasefire. Bush’s call for a permanent ceasefire was in direct conflict with the U.S. funded genocidal regime and–for Zionist and israel supporters–a threat to their imperialist agenda.
On October 30, Wesley Bell dropped out of the Senate race to challenge Cori Bush for the House seat. In his press conference last October, Bell spoke “as a prosecutor” and aligned himself with Biden’s agenda while referring to israel as “allies.” Bell also attributed other differences as his motivation for switching from a Senate race to House, but it was his stance on israel that ultimately positioned him as a strategic candidate to challenge Bush.
Bush’s activism and community work can be traced back to 2014. She has stood side-by-side with Ferguson and St. Louis protesters, organized with community members, and continues to advocate for Palestinian liberation. Bush and her team will uphold her grassroots approach with multiple canvassing events scheduled for the last weekend ahead of the Primary Elections.
Bell’s work–on the other hand–outlines a pattern of upholding a system of oppression. He weaponized a bail system in Velda City until a federal lawsuit was filed, failed to indict Darren Wilson for the murder of Mike Brown, allegedly covered up details for an unlawful arrest, and has pocketed millions of dollars from Political Action Committees (PACs) who actively fight against progress. Bell and his team will continue to align with deep-pockets donors and right-wing extremists as the election nears.
Primary Election is Aug 6, and St. Louis voters will head to the polls to choose between a champion for the people or a servant of paid interest.
