Politics · Missouri primary · ArchiveBell Defeats Bush in Missouri Primary, Powered by 27-to-1 Ad AdvantageAired August 5, 2026 at 3:23 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Wesley Bell has defeated two-term0:01progressive incumbent Cori Bush in0:03Missouri's first district Democratic0:05primary. NBC News projects the victory.0:07Bell's margin is roughly 45 points. That0:10is not a close race. It is an incumbent0:12erased. Bell outspent Bush by a margin0:14of 27 to one, according to Ad Impact0:16data. Bush's defining foreign [music]0:18policy position, her call to cut US aid0:21to Israel, made her a target of outside0:23spending. The financial force [music]0:25behind Bell was not accidental.0:27It was a decision by donors and allied0:29groups to make this race a referendum0:30[music] on whether a squad member could0:32survive a well-funded moderate. The0:34endorsements behind those numbers define0:36the [music] fracture inside the0:37Democratic Party. Bell was backed by0:39House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries,0:41[music] the party's establishment0:42center. Bush was endorsed by Senator0:44Bernie Sanders, who backed at least four0:46[music] Democratic candidates that0:47night, including Bush.0:49The progressive standard-bearer lost her0:51district. What isn't yet clear is0:53whether Bell's victory is a one-district0:55event or a signal. Other0:56Sanders-endorsed progressives [music]0:58were on ballots that same night. Their1:00outcomes and whether Jeffries-aligned1:01money follows the Missouri pattern into1:03other districts will determine whether1:05this primary is a single defeat or the1:07start of a broader realignment heading1:08into the 2026 midterms.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗