“I am honored and grateful that the people of Missouri’s First Congressional District have continued to put their trust in me to represent them in Congress,” Bell said in a statement after the race call. “Two years ago, St. Louis voted for better and more accountable representation. We have kept that promise, whether it’s bringing federal resources home to our neighborhoods, standing with working folks when they needed someone in their corner, or helping families cut through red tape. That work does not stop tonight.”

The results mark the second time Bush has lost to the former St. Louis County prosecutor, after having lost to him in 2024 in part over her anti-Israel stance.

Bush, who served in the House from 2021 to 2025, was one of the first members of Congress to refer to Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide,” and has been a vocal critic of the Jewish state.

The Democratic Party has seen significant shifts regarding Israel since Bush’s loss, with roughly half of Democrats believing Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, according to a recent Associated Press-NORC poll.

The shift in public opinion meant Bush, a socialist, was facing a more favorable political environment this cycle, a factor she hoped would help fuel her comeback bid. Her loss marks a setback for the socialist wing of the Democratic Party, which has scored a string of high-profile primary wins nationwide, including in New York and Colorado.

Bush had hoped to ride the wave of victories in her own primary bid, but was unable to topple Bell, who enjoyed the benefit of incumbency and received support from the United Democracy Project, an arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

United Democracy Project, which helped oust Bush in 2024, spent at least $2.1 million in Missouri’s 1st District in 2026 and was the largest outside spender in the race.

The former congresswoman’s financial controversies also weighed down her comeback bid. That includes employing her husband as her security detail and a Justice Department investigation into her campaign’s spending on security services.

At the time, the Missouri Democrat said she was fully cooperating with the investigation and maintained she retained her husband as part of her security team because of his “extensive experience” in the area, and that he provided the services “at or below a fair market rate.”

Bush has claimed she did not use any federal taxpayer money to pay her husband, and that the money came from her campaign funds. It is not illegal to pay family members with campaign money.

In a separate matter, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) launched an investigation into an organization affiliated with Bush last month over allegations that donations for tornado relief were diverted to her political operation.

CORI BUSH’S ‘PERSONAL BAGGAGE’ SHADOWS COMEBACK BID

Bush has said she cannot speak to the organization as a candidate, claiming it is a political action committee. Bush has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Missouri’s 1st Congressional District, located in St. Louis, is rated as a solid Democrat, meaning Bell is expected to serve another term in the House.