The Diverging Paths of Cori Bush and Wesley Bell: Following the Money Trail to Missouri’s 1st Congressional District Race

Cropped and merged portraits of Cori Bush (left) and Wesley Bell (right). Bush Portrait: KMOC-TV; Bell Portrait: Michael Thomas for The Intercept DISCLAIMER: This piece is not intended to sway votes or influence electoral judgment. It aims to present unbiased information about each candidate, their policies, affiliations, and objectively analyze these in the context of their impact on Black & brown communities. Background St. Louis voters have set historic precedents in recent elections by challenging entrenched power. By electing Wesley Bell as County Prosecutor in 2018, they ousted a nearly 30-year Incumbent County Prosecutor Bob McColluch. When they elected Cori Bush in 2020, they elected Missouri’s first Black woman Representative to Congress. Both Bell and Bush would attribute grassroots activism as their approach to politics. It was the 2014 uprisings following the murder of Mike Brown by Ferguson cop Darren Wilson that served as a tipping point for many and ultimately catapulted both Bush and Bell into political prominence. Fast-forward to 2024, and Bell is now challenging Bush for her seat in the House. While the two may share a connection to the uprisings in 2014, their paths to the upcoming Primary Election delineates stark differences. Up until October, Wesley...