Cori Bush's Primary Loss and Rising Democratic Tensions

The fact that Representative Cori Bush, a high-profile member of the so-called progressive “Squad,” lost her primary to St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell in her bid for a third term is a significant blow. The result in Missouri’s 1 st Congressional District, which is quite safely inside the Democratic strongholds, inspired a wide array of reactions on social media.

Using the hashtag #GoodRiddance, social media users from a variety of groups, not limited to conservatives, expressed their support for the outcome. A prominent voice adding to the criticism was Jewish actor Michael Rapaport, expressing delight with the tag #SquadGoals while denouncing Bush’s position on Israel. Additionally, the conservative outlet Libs of TikTok reacted to the result, implying that the ideology championed by Bush and other left-wingers in the party was so extreme that it alienated even the fellow Democrats.

This primary is one of the indicators pointing to the rising tension in the Democratic Party as moderates try to resist the shifts demanded by the more left-leaning members. In this context, a squad member losing her seat in the House to her more moderate colleague illustrates the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the party and the choices made by voters in these complex times.