Israel Lobby Takes Out Second 'Squad' Member As Cori Bush Loses Primary

Tuesday's Missouri primary delivered the latest demonstration of the Israel lobby's formidable power, as progressive Democratic "Squad" Rep. Cori Bush lost a primary challenge to St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, who benefitted from huge spending on his behalf by pro-Israel groups.  

It's the Israel lobby's second ouster of a Squad member in just six weeks. In June, New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost the Democratic nomination to Westchester County executive George Latimer. In that race, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) poured an astonishing $14 million into the race -- helping to make it the most expensive House primary contest ever.

Not far behind, the Bell-Bush contest ended as the fourth-priciest such race in US history. The AIPAC-affiliated but opaquely-named United Democracy Project spent almost $9 million to ensure that Bush was removed from Congress. Democratic Majority for Israel chipped in almost $500,000. It paid off: With more than 95% of the votes counted, Bell had won 51.2% of the vote to Bush's 45.6%. The district is deep blue, so you can go ahead and pencil Bell in the seat now.