GOP looks to tie Dems to DSA in midterm strategy, panel debates influence
Evan Power and Morgan Harper discuss the impact of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) on the midterm elections.
A comeback bid launched by former House "Squad" member Cori Bush was thwarted on Tuesday night, as establishment Democrats notched a key victory in the party's civil war with the insurgent left.
Rep. Wesley Bell, D-Mo., defeated the former congresswoman and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member for the second time since 2024.
Bell ran as a pragmatic alternative to Bush, while still touting himself as a progressive to appeal to Democrats in Missouri's 1st Congressional District.
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Rep. Wesley Bell defeated former Rep. Cori Bush for a second time in the Missouri primary. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Before coming to Congress, Bell was a Ferguson, Missouri City Council member and a county prosecutor.
Bush made her name in politics as a Black Lives Matter organizer before coming to Congress, serving two terms before losing to Bell.
She blamed her 2024 loss on the hundreds of thousands of dollars that pro-Israel groups from outside her district spent on the race.
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Former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., attends a news conference in Washington, D.C., on May 8, 2024. (Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The far-left firebrand utilized a similar line of attack against Bell this time around as well, accusing him of being controlled by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
"When the disaster caused $1.6 billion in damages and took several lives, Wesley responded by hopping on a flight to Israel funded by Trump’s donors less than 90 days later," Bush posted on X last week, referring to a 2025 tornado that tore through part of St. Louis.
But those attacks failed to make enough of a dent in Bell's campaign.
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A home in St. Louis sits partially collapsed after the EF-3 tornado in May 2025, leaving bricks and debris piled along the street. (Fox News)
Bush was part of a wave of DSA-linked candidates posing a challenge to Democrats across the country, even unseating several sitting House lawmakers.
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It was a boon for Republicans, who argue that the Democratic Party is being pulled further left than where most Americans are comfortable with, painting the party as out-of-touch.
Bell is now the heavy favorite to win a second term representing the deep-blue district in November.
