Squad members Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.) have so far lost to more moderate Democratic challengers as primary threats mount. There is.
Mr. Bush is under investigation by the Justice Department for making campaign payments ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars to security companies, and has had pro-police advocates stripped of funds, but his primary challenger, Wesley Bell, The lawyer won by a narrow margin.
Mr. Bell received $492,149 in contributions in the final quarter of 2023, compared to $487,000 raised by Mr. Bush, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.
“Missouri’s First District deserves representatives who show up, get the job done, and get things done,” Bell said in a statement to The Hill. “We are honored to have a rapidly growing list of support from community members and local officials, and are encouraged by the incredible momentum of support driving our campaign forward.”
Cori Bush slams ‘right-wing’ watchdog groups in Justice Department investigation
It’s worth noting that Congresswoman Cori Bush spent more than $500,000 on her own private security while publicly advocating for defunding the police movement. (Getty Images)
Bowman pled guilty to a misdemeanor for setting off an office fire alarm in the House of Representatives to suspend a vote during government shutdown debate, according to the latest FEC filings. It raised $724,000. This compares to the $1.4 million raised by George Latimer, his opponent in New York’s 14th Congressional District.
“There are fundamental weaknesses in Mr. Latimer’s fundraising,” Bill Neidhart, a spokesman for Mr. Bowman’s re-election campaign, told The Hill. “His connections to Republican Trump mega-donors.”
“His money won’t be spent as much in the Democratic primary, where voters want to hold Donald Trump accountable,” Neidhardt added.
Latimer, who ran for Westchester County Executive in early December, traveled to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack to express support for the Jewish state and received a letter from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. received support.
Meanwhile, Bowman, who represents a seat considered a safe blue seat, recently lost support from the progressive group J Street.
Congressman Jamal Bowman (D.Y.) speaks during a press conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 13, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Cori Bush’s campaign paid her husband an additional $17,500, bringing the total to $120,000, new filings show.
On January 30, J Street, a group that claims to be pro-Israel but has come under criticism for supporting positions perceived as advantageous to the Iranian regime and Palestinians, said that a progressive member of Congress “crossed the line.” ” and withdrew its support for Mr. Bowman. He called for a ceasefire and described Israel’s military operation in Gaza as a “genocide.”
Other members of the squad, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, also continue to collect donations.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer speaks during a subway announcement by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Mr. Latimer is running in the Democratic primary against Congressman Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 14th Congressional District. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Despite fundraising setbacks and controversial anti-Israel statements, Mr. Bush and Mr. Bowman are still seen as progressive incumbents difficult and likely costly to defeat. But their defeat would signal a shift toward the Democratic center in Congress.
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Mark Mellman, a veteran Democratic pollster and Israel Democratic Majority Leader, told The Hill that members of Congress who are considered part of the progressive wing are “inherently a very small group.” . “It would be better for the party and for the country if the party became smaller.”
