Democrat drops out of Missouri Senate race, challenges Cori Bush for House seat

Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Wesley Bell (D) announced Monday he is dropping out of the state’s Senate race and will instead challenge Missouri Rep. Cori Bush (D) in the House.

Bell, the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, said at a news conference that several people urged him to launch a campaign for the House instead of running for the Senate.

Bell also called out Bush’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, saying the congresswoman’s initial response to the militant’s group surprise attack against the country was not “appropriate.”

Bush was one of nine Democrats who last week voted against a resolution expressing support for Israel and condemning Hamas’s attack earlier this month. Bush also called for the U.S. to end its support for Israel earlier this month and led a coalition of progressive lawmakers who called for President Biden to work for an immediate cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.

“Understand this unique place that we are with the world literally on fire,” Bell said at the news conference. “I think that we need to make certain that we are providing that effective leadership, not only in our district but in D.C. and on the world stage.”

The Hill has reached out to Bush’s office for comment and more information.

Bell, if he had stayed in the Senate race and won a Democratic primary, would have been seeking to unseat Sen. Josh Hawley (R) in a state that has reliably voted Republican in recent presidential elections.

“So, after thoughtful consideration in consultation with respected in community — and committed community and political leaders, I’m formally withdrawing as a candidate for the U.S. Senate and announcing my candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri’s 1st Congressional District,” Bell said at the news conference.

Bell, 48, entered politics in the aftermath of Black teenager Michael Brown being fatally shot by police in Ferguson in 2014. He was elected as St. Louis County prosecutor in 2018, defeating incumbent Bob McCulloch (D) in an upset.

Bush protested police violence for more than a year as an activist after Brown’s killing. She’s since made fighting racism and police brutality a centerpiece of her work in Congress.

Bush defeated Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) in a 2020 primary before winning her first term in Congress. She was challenged by Missouri State Senator Steven Roberts (D) in the 2022 primary but secured the nomination with 69.5 percent of the vote, and then won 72.9 percent of the vote in the general election.

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In a statement to The Hill, Bush’s campaign manager and spokesperson Devon Moody said that while Bell has the right to run for office, it is “disheartening” that the attorney abandoned his Senate campaign to “target Missouri’s first Black congresswoman.”

“Congresswoman Bush won this seat to represent the people of St. Louis in 2020 on a bold, progressive vision, and every day since being sworn into Congress she has prioritized the needs and wellbeing of her constituents. Judging by her massive victory last cycle, her mandate is clear,” Moody added.

“The Congresswoman remains laser focused on working with her Democratic colleagues to prevent MAGA extremists from further eroding our basic human rights and blocking critical resources for our communities, and she will keep pushing forward a pro-St. Louis, pro-democracy, pro-peace agenda. No matter who enters the race and when, that focus will not change.”

This story was updated at 5:02 p.m.

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