St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell has announced that he will no longer be running against Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley in 2024. Instead, he will be challenging Democratic U.S. Representative Cori Bush in the primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District seat. The decision comes as Bush faces criticism for her response to the Hamas attack on Israel, with some accusing her of calling to end US government support for Israel. Both Bell and Bush gained political prominence in the aftermath of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
Bell, who pulled off a surprising upset in 2018 when he unseated Bob McCulloch as St. Louis County prosecutor, stated that he felt he was the best Democrat to defeat Hawley. However, he made the decision to change course after receiving encouragement from people around the state to run for Congress instead. He also criticized Bush’s stance on Hamas and Israel. Meanwhile, Bush’s campaign expressed disappointment in Bell’s decision, highlighting her vision and mandate as an elected Congresswoman.
The primary race between Bell and Bush will take place in a heavily Democratic district, making the winner the expected favorite in the general election. Both candidates have emerged as influential figures following the Ferguson shooting, with Bell advocating for changes in the criminal justice system and establishing an independent unit to investigate officer-involved shootings, while Bush has been a vocal leader in protests and has advocated for reallocating funds from the police to social services.