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Cori Bush

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Cori Bush
Cori Bush 117th U.S Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2021
Preceded byLacy Clay
Personal details
Born (1976-07-21) July 21, 1976 (age 45)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
EducationLutheran School of Nursing
WebsiteHouse website

Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976)[1] is an American politician, registered nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist serving as the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 1st congressional district.[2][3] The district includes all of the city of St. Louis and most of northern St. Louis County.

A member of the Democratic Party, on August 4, 2020, Bush defeated 10-term incumbent Lacy Clay in a 2020 U.S. House of Representatives primary election largely viewed as a historic upset, advancing to the November general election in a solidly Democratic congressional district. Bush is the first African-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri. She previously ran in the Democratic primary for the district in 2018 and the 2016 U.S. Senate election in Missouri. She was featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, which covered her first primary challenge to Clay.

Early life and education

Bush was born on July 21, 1976, in St. Louis and graduated from Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in 1994.[4] Her father, Errol Bush, is an alderman in Northwoods, Missouri and previously served as mayor.[5][6][7] Bush studied at Harris–Stowe State University for one year (1995–96)[8] and worked at a preschool until 2001.[9] She earned a diploma in nursing from the Lutheran School of Nursing in 2008 and also became a pastor.[8][9][10]

Early career

In 2011, Bush established the Kingdom Embassy International Church in St. Louis, Missouri. She became a political activist in the 2014 Ferguson unrest,[9] during which she worked as a triage nurse and organizer. She has said she was hit by a police officer.[11] Bush is a Nonviolence 365 Ambassador with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[11]

Bush was a candidate for the 2016 United States Senate election in Missouri. In the Democratic primary, she placed a distant second to Secretary of State Jason Kander. Kander narrowly lost the election to incumbent Republican Roy Blunt.[12][13]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

In 2018, Bush launched a primary campaign against incumbent Democratic representative Lacy Clay in Missouri's 1st congressional district. Described as an "insurgent" candidate, Bush was endorsed by Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats.[14] Her campaign was featured in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, alongside those of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, and Paula Jean Swearengin.[15][16] Clay defeated Bush, 56.7% to 36.9%.[17]

2020

Logo for Bush's 2020 congressional campaign

In 2020, Bush ran against Clay again.[18][3][19] She was endorsed by progressive organizations including Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and Brand New Congress and received personal endorsements from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, NY-16 Democratic nominee Jamaal Bowman,[20][21] former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner,[22] activist Angela Davis,[22] West Virginia Democratic nominee for Senate Paula Jean Swearengin,[23] and actress Michelle Forbes.[citation needed]

External video
video icon Cori Bush Democratic Primary Night Victory Remarks, August 4, 2020, C-SPAN

Bush narrowly defeated Clay in the primary election in what was widely seen as an upset. Bush received 48.5% of the vote, winning St. Louis City and narrowly losing suburban St. Louis County. The district is so heavily Democratic that her primary victory was considered tantamount to election in November.[24] Her primary win ended the Clay family's 52-year hold on the district. Clay's father, Bill, won the seat in 1968 and handed it to his son in 2000.[25][26][27] The district and its predecessors have been in Democratic hands for all but 17 months since 1909, and without interruption since 1911. No Republican has received more than 40% in the district since the late 1940s. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+29, it is easily the most Democratic district in Missouri, and tied for the 23rd-most Democratic district in the country.

As expected, Bush won the general election handily, defeating Republican Anthony Rogers with 78 percent of the vote.

Tenure

Soon after being sworn in, Bush joined "The Squad", a group of progressive Democratic lawmakers. She posted a photo on Twitter of herself, the four original Squad members, and another new member, Bowman, with the caption "Squad up."[28]

On January 6, 2021, hours after pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Bush introduced a resolution to remove every Republican who supported attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election from the House of Representatives.[29]

In announcing her support for the second impeachment of Donald Trump, Bush called the attack on the Capitol a "white supremacist insurrection" incited by the "white supremacist-in-chief."[30]

In August 2021, Bush took a leading role in fighting to extend the CARES Act's eviction moratorium, sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to make her point; the CDC extended the moratorium on August 3.[9][31][32][33]

On August 5, 2021, Bush defended spending tens of thousands of dollars on personal security for herself as a member of Congress while also saying Democrats should defund the police, saying, "I get to be here to do the work, so suck it up—and defunding the police has to happen. We need to defund the police."[34][35][36]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions

Bush during the George Floyd protests in July 2020

Bush is a progressive Democrat, supporting policies such as defunding the police,[34][35][36] criminal justice and police reform, abortion rights, Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, tuition-free state college and trade school, and canceling student debt.[39] She was endorsed by, and is a member of, the Democratic Socialists of America.[40][41] Bush supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.[42] She stands "unwaveringly with Black Lives Matter's demands".[19]

During her campaign, Bush advocated defunding the United States Armed Forces. After receiving criticism from Representative Kevin McCarthy and a St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial, Bush clarified that she supported the reallocation of defense funding to healthcare and low-income communities.[43]

After Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol, Bush introduced a resolution, H.Res.25, to investigate and expel members of the House who promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. On January 29, after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accepted her request, Bush announced she was changing offices from the Longworth House Office Building after Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene "berated" her and her staff in a hallway and refused to wear a mask. Greene accused Bush of calling for violence against a couple involved in the controversial July 2020 march through a gated St. Louis suburb.[44]

Personal life

Bush lives in St. Louis, Missouri. She has two children.[45] For 14 months, she and her then husband lived in their car with the young children after being evicted because of loss of income after illness during her second pregnancy made it necessary for her to quit her preschool job.[9][46] In May 2021, she testified to the House Oversight and Reform Committee that during her first pregnancy, she informed her doctor of severe pain but was ignored, and as a result went into pre-term labor. Bush attributed this to "harsh and racist treatment" that black women face during pregnancy and childbirth.[47] In a subsequent tweet, she wrote, "Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don't believe our pain", and was criticized for using the term "birthing people" rather than "mothers".[48][49]

Electoral history

2016

2016 United States Senate election in Missouri Democratic primary [50]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Jason Kander 223,492 69.9
Democratic Cori Bush 42,453 13.3
Democratic Chief Wana Dubie 30,432 9.5
Democratic Robert Mack 23,509 7.4
Total votes 319,886 100.00%

2018

Missouri 1st Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2018[51]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Lacy Clay (incumbent) 81,426 56.7
Democratic Cori Bush 53,056 36.9
Democratic Joshua Shipp 4,959 3.5
Democratic DeMarco K. Davidson 4,229 2.9
Total votes 143,670 100.0

2020

Missouri 1st Congressional District Democratic Primary, 2020[52]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cori Bush 73,274 48.5
Democratic Lacy Clay (incumbent) 68,887 45.6
Democratic Katherine Bruckner 8,850 5.9
Total votes 151,011 100.0
Missouri's 1st Congressional District General Election, 2020
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cori Bush 249,087 78.7
Republican Anthony Rogers 59,940 18.9
Libertarian Alex Furman 6,766 2.1
N/A Write in 378 0.1
Total votes 316,171 100.0

See also

References

  1. ^ "Cori Bush". Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Meet Cori Bush, the Ferguson Activist Vying to Be Missouri's First Black Congresswoman". July 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Bowden, John (July 13, 2020). "Black Lives Matter activist Cori Bush on running for Congress: 'We have to have progressive change'". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  4. ^ "Bush, Cori". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  5. ^ Gibson, Brittany (July 20, 2020). "Cori Bush Seeks to Be a Congresswoman Organizer". The American Prospect. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "The Board | City of Northwoods". Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Errol S. Bush". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b "Pastor Cori Bush Activist". Conscious Campus. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Slodysko, Brian; Salter, Jim (August 4, 2021). "For Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, the eviction fight is personal". Associated Press. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Cori Bush's Biography". VoteSmart. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Barger, TK (January 17, 2016). "Pastor drawn into Mo. protest to give keynote at MLK event: Missouri nursing supervisor to tell of Ferguson's frontlines". Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "Can Cori Bush end Lacy Clay's flawless streak at the ballot box?". St. Louis Public Radio. July 26, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  13. ^ Chávez, Aída (August 7, 2018). "Insurgent Candidate Cori Bush Wants to End the Dynastic Rule of a Missouri Congressional District". The Intercept. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  14. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 2, 2020). "In St. Louis, Testing Liberal Might Against a Democratic Fixture". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  15. ^ Fenske, Sarah. "Cori Bush's Campaign Against Lacy Clay Bolstered by Ocasio-Cortez Upset". Riverfront Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  16. ^ "Cori Bush". Brand New Congress. August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "Missouri Primary Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. September 24, 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  18. ^ Millhiser, Ian (August 4, 2020). "Cori Bush wants to be the next progressive to upset a sitting congressman. Today's her shot". Vox. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Voght, Kara. "This Black Lives Matter activist is running for Congress. Can she bring down a 20-year incumbent?". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  20. ^ "Endorsements". Cori Bush For Congress. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  21. ^ Krieg, Gregory. "Jamaal Bowman endorses Missouri progressive Cori Bush in primary challenge to Lacy Clay". CNN. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Jump up to: a b "Cori Bush of Netflix's 'Knock Down the House' Discusses Her Newest Campaign". June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020. Bush refuses all corporate PAC money and is endorsed by progressive leaders like Angela Davis, Nina Turner, and Shaun King.
  23. ^ Kilkenny, Katie (June 26, 2019). "'Knock Down the House' Stars Endorse Bernie Sanders' Campaign". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020. Amy Vilela, Cori Bush and Paula Jean Swearingen have all thrown their support behind the openly socialist 2020 candidate, Bernie Sanders 2020 announced on Twitter on Saturday. "Thank you @CoriBush, @paulajean2020, and @amy4thepeople for endorsing our campaign! Together we can defeat Donald Trump and finally create a government that works for everyone in this country," the tweet read.
  24. ^ "Missouri Primary Election Results: First Congressional District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  25. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 5, 2020). "Cori Bush Defeats William Lacy Clay in a Show of Progressive Might". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  26. ^ Cummings, William. "Who is Cori Bush, the nurse, pastor and activist who ended a 52-year political dynasty?". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  27. ^ Gregory Krieg. "Lacy Clay defeated by progressive primary challenger Cori Bush, CNN projects". CNN. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  28. ^ @CoriBush (January 3, 2021). "Squad up" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  29. ^ Johnson, Marty (January 6, 2021). "Cori Bush introduces legislation to sanction, remove all House members who supported election challenges". The Hill. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  30. ^ Cori Bush calls to 'impeach the white supremacist-in-chief'. PBS Newshour, January 13, 2021.
  31. ^ Xiang, Chloe (August 4, 2021). "Under pressure from progressive lawmakers like Rep. Cori Bush, the CDC extends eviction moratorium". Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  32. ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 4, 2021). "With Capitol Sit-In, Cori Bush Galvanized a Progressive Revolt Over Evictions". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  33. ^ Peiser, Jaclyn (August 4, 2021). "Cori Bush slept outside the Capitol to protest evictions. Democrats credited her for the renewed protections". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Bade, Rachael; Ross, Garrett; Okun, Eli (August 5, 2021). "POLITICO Playbook PM: GOP latches on to Cori Bush's private security spending". Politico. Politico LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b Walker, Jackson (August 5, 2021). "Cori Bush defends private security at Capitol: 'You would rather me die?'". The Hill. Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b O’Brien, Cortney (August 5, 2021). "Cori Bush defends calling to defund the police while having private security: 'You would rather me die?'". Fox News. FOX News Network, LLC. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  37. ^ @CoriBush (December 19, 2020). "I ran for office on the promise of justice. Justice for Black lives. Justice for every community held back by racis…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. ^ "Caucus Membrs". US House of Representatives. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  39. ^ Boguhn, Ally (November 14, 2019). "'People Are Hurting': Why Cori Bush Is Making Another Congressional Run". Rewire.News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  40. ^ Taylor, Astra (June 17, 2020). "A New Group of Leftist Primary Challengers Campaign Through Protests and the Coronavirus". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  41. ^ Day, Meagan (August 7, 2020). "Cori Bush on How She Took On the Political Establishment and Won". Jacobin (magazine). Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  42. ^ Harb, Ali (August 5, 2020). "Cori Bush was attacked over BDS before election; she did not back down". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020. "Cori Bush has always been sympathetic to the BDS movement, and she stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people just as they have stood in solidarity with Black Americans fighting for their own lives," her campaign said in a statement on Saturday.
  43. ^ "Cori Bush responds to critics of her call to 'defund' the military, says she wants to 'change our priorities'". STLtoday.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  44. ^ Itkowitz, Colby; Wang, Amy B. (January 29, 2021). "Democratic Rep. Bush to move congressional office away from Rep. Greene, citing safety reasons". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  45. ^ Gibson, Brittany (July 20, 2020). "Cori Bush Seeks to Be a Congresswoman Organizer". The American Prospect. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  46. ^ "Once homeless, Cori Bush ousts 20-year Rep. Lacy Clay in Missouri primary: 'They counted us out'". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  47. ^ Folley, Aris (May 6, 2021). "Bush testifies before Congress about racist treatment Black birthing people face during childbirth, pregnancy". The Hill. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  48. ^ Pedroja, Cammy (May 6, 2021). "Rep. Cori Bush Says 'Birthing People' in 'Maternal Health Crisis' Testimony, and Twitter Goes Nuts". Newsweek. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  49. ^ Lowry, Bryan (May 6, 2021). "'Birthing people.' Bush hits her critics for missing story of children nearly dying". Kansas City Star. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  50. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. ^ "Missouri Primary Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  52. ^ "State of Missouri – Primary Election, August 04, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2020.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
Lacy Clay 		Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 1st congressional district
January 3, 2021–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by
Jamaal Bowman 		United States representatives by seniority
378th 		Succeeded by
Kat Cammack
  • v
  • t
Missouri's delegation(s) to the 117th–present United States Congress (ordered by seniority)
117th
Senate:
  •   R. Blunt (R)
  •   J. Hawley (R)
House:
  •   S. Graves (R)
  •   E. Cleaver (D)
  •   B. Luetkemeyer (R)
  •   V. Hartzler (R)
  •   B. Long (R)
  •   A. Wagner (R)
  •   J. Smith (R)
  •   C. Bush (D)
Retrieved from ""