Cori Bush, the activist-turned-congresswoman who was one of AIPAC's highest-profile targets in the 2024 election cycle, is running again for Missouri's 1st District seat. The former St. Louis-area representative lost her primary to Wesley Bell after the AIPAC-linked United Democracy Project spent more than $8.5 million supporting her opponent, a sum that represented one of the largest outside spending efforts in a Democratic primary that year.
Bush placed second in the August 2024 primary, with Bell winning by approximately 5 points before easily securing the general election. Now, as Democrats grapple with intensifying internal debates over U.S. policy toward Israel, Bush is positioning her 2026 campaign as a direct response to what she describes as an interruption of her work by pro-Israel spending.
"I need to go back. I didn't finish the work that I was doing," Bush said in a recent interview. "It was interrupted by big money. It was interrupted by AIPAC and their allies who made the decision that they didn't want this activist, this advocate, who had been speaking out against war and imperialism, that had been speaking out against a genocide in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government."
What the Right Is Saying
AIPAC's United Democracy Project has endorsed Bell for the 2026 race and continues to defend its 2024 investment. Spokesperson Patrick Dorton called Bush a "disastrously ineffective" member of Congress who failed to deliver for her constituents.
"Cori Bush was a disastrously ineffective Member of Congress who didn't deliver for her constituents," Dorton said in a statement. "When voters are reminded of that record of non-accomplishment, they will be no more likely to elect Cori Bush to Congress than they were to re-elect her two years ago. She was a terrible Member of Congress that didn't do anything for St. Louis."
Bell himself has downplayed the significance of AIPAC's past support, calling it a "headline" issue that does not resonate with his constituents' daily concerns.
"Folks in my district, money in politics doesn't impact whether they can get gas in their car and pay for food and the price of eggs and bringing jobs into our district," Bell said in an interview. "And so that is a headline that my opponent likes to play into."
Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright suggested that voters care more about constituent services than campaign finance issues. "I know there are some in and outside of our party who want to make the conversations about the type of money folks may or may not receive, but I tend to think it's more important about the type of services we provide," he said.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive allies of Bush argue that the political landscape has shifted dramatically since her defeat, making AIPAC support increasingly toxic in Democratic primaries. Usamah Andrabi of Justice Democrats, which endorsed Bush in both the 2024 and 2026 cycles, said voters are waking up to the organization's influence.
"Voters are waking up to their influence, and that is why you are now seeing AIPAC's endorsement becoming, I think, a death for so many candidates and incumbents across the country," Andrabi said.
Progressive groups point to AIPAC's mixed record in 2026 Democratic primaries, including unsuccessful efforts in New Jersey and split results in Illinois, as evidence that the organization's political capital is waning. Supporters argue Bush's 2024 loss was not a repudiation of her policies but rather a function of overwhelming outside spending.
What the Numbers Show
The Democratic Party's internal divide over Israel policy has deepened since Bush's 2024 defeat. An NBC News poll conducted this month found that 67 percent of registered Democrats said they sympathized more with Palestinians than Israelis regarding the Middle East situation.
A Quinnipiac University poll found that 53 percent of all voters, including 89 percent of Democrats, opposed U.S.-Israel military action against Iran. The poll reflects a significant shift in Democratic sentiment since the Israel-Hamas war began.
In Missouri's 1st District, which is plurality Black and anchored in St. Louis, voter priorities extend beyond foreign policy. Bell won the 2024 primary with approximately 55 percent of the vote to Bush's roughly 30 percent, though Bush outperformed expectations in a district that had not previously elected a progressive like her.
The Bottom Line
Bush's 2026 campaign will test whether AIPAC's financial backing remains a decisive factor in Democratic primaries or whether progressive candidates can successfully frame outside spending from pro-Israel groups as a liability. The race will unfold against continued Democratic infighting over U.S. support for Israel, particularly as President Trump's administration has pursued military action against Iran. Bush must persuade primary voters that her 2024 loss was a function of money rather than message, while Bell will likely emphasize constituent services and his moderate progressive credentials. The outcome could shape how both parties approach Israel-related campaign finance in future cycles.