Squad lawmaker Cori Bush trailing in primary to pro-Israel backed challenger

A second member of the so-called Squad of progressive congressional Democrats may be headed for early retirement following a primary challenge backed by pro-Israel groups.

With just over half the votes tallied, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell leads strident Israel critic Cori Bush by a nearly 12 percent margin in the Democratic primary to represent Missouri’s 1st congressional district.

Bush, who rose to prominence leading protests in Ferguson after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown, has been targeted by pro-Israel groups funding races against candidates most vociferously opposed to the Jewish state.

Much of Bell’s funding comes from groups that are affiliated with, or ideologically close to, the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC. Political action committees aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs have spent at least $9 million in the race. Another pro-Israel PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, has spent close to $500,000.

In June, Squad member Jamaal Bowman was defeated in a New York primary by local politician George Latimer, in a race that pro-Israel groups spent $14 million on.