ST. LOUIS — In 2020, Cori Bush was elected to serve the 1st Congressional District, pulling off a political upset and toppling the Clay family dynasty that represented St. Louis in Congress for half a century. On Tuesday, the freshman U.S. Representative won her first race as an incumbent.
She defeated Republican Andrew Jones.
Bush, a Ferguson activist, has formed political alliances with a progressive group of Democratic women in Congress and refers to herself as a “politivist,” or a politician activist. Her campaign touted accomplishments that include pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up radioactive waste near a St. Louis County creek, pushing for climate change action and standing against evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She garnered nearly 70% of the vote in the Democratic primary, handily beating out state Sen. Steve Roberts, who hedged his campaign on the idea that Bush, a vocal advocate for defunding the police and moving money to social services and mental health programs, is too liberal even for heavily Democratic St. Louis.
Bush's style of amplifying the voices of protesters in the halls of Congress has rubbed some politicians the wrong way, and yet has resonated with some grassroots activists in her district.
Jones described himself as a business leader rather than a politician. He is anti-abortion and pro-Israel, according to his campaign website, and his other key issues include conservative fiscal policy, increased funding for police and parental rights in education.
Republicans in the Missouri House and Senate drew new boundaries around the First Congressional District, but the partisan makeup of the voters living in it remains roughly the same. Due to the volume of Democratic-leaning voters living in the district, a Democratic win was widely expected.