Cori Bush

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

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

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.[3] She studied at Harris–Stowe State University for one year (1995–96) before earning a graduate diploma in nursing from the Lutheran School of Nursing in 2008.[4][5]

Early career

In 2011, Bush established the Kingdom Embassy International Church in St. Louis, Missouri. Her interest in politics began after the 2014 Ferguson unrest, where she worked as a triage nurse and organizer. She said she was assaulted by police, as she was hit by an officer, but was not arrested.[6] Bush is a Nonviolence 365 Ambassador with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[6]

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.[7][8]

U.S. House of Representatives

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.[9] Along with other progressive candidates, she was featured in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who defeated a 10-term incumbent congressman in her 2018 primary victory.[10][11] Clay defeated Bush, 56.7% to 36.9%.[12]

2020
Logo for Bush's 2020 congressional campaign

In 2020, Bush ran against Clay again.[13][14][15] 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,[16][17] former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner,[18] activist Angela Davis,[18] West Virginia Democratic nominee for Senate Paula Jean Swearengin,[19] and actress Michelle Forbes.

External video
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, and is also seen as tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district. Bush received 48.5% of the vote, winning St. Louis City and narrowly losing suburban St. Louis County.[20] 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.[21][22][23] 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.

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, Jamaal Bowman of New York, with the caption "Squad up."[24]

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.[25]

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." She began her remarks, "St. Louis and I rise",[26] a phrase she has used during other floor speeches.[27]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Political positions
Bush during the George Floyd protests in July 2020

Bush is a progressive Democrat, supporting policies such as 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.[30] She was endorsed by, and is a member of, the Democratic Socialists of America.[31][32] Bush is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.[33]

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.[34]

After Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol, Bush introduced a resolution 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. Greene accused Bush of calling for violence against a couple involved in the controversial July 2020 march through a gated St. Louis suburb.[35]

Awards and honors

Bush received the 2015 Women of Courage Award from the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, the 2016 Delux Magazine Power Award, and the 2018 Community Activist Award from the Missouri Association of Black Ministers. Gazelle Magazine named her one of the Top 50 Women of St. Louis. The St. Louis Coalition of Human Rights honored her as an Unsung Human Rights Shero in 2017.[36]

Personal life

Bush lives in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a divorced mother of two children, and previously raised them while homeless.[37][38]

Electoral history

2016
2016 United States Senate election in Missouri Democratic primary [39]
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[40]
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[41]
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

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. "Bush, Cori". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  4. "Pastor Cori Bush Activist". Conscious Campus. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  5. "Cori Bush's Biography". Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  6. 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.
  7. "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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. "Cori Bush". Brand New Congress. August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  12. "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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. "Endorsements". Cori Bush For Congress. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  17. 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.
  18. "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.
  19. 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.
  20. "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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. @CoriBush (January 3, 2021). "Squad up" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. 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.
  26. Cori Bush calls to 'impeach the white supremacist-in-chief'. PBS Newshour, January 13, 2021.
  27. Cori Bush house floor speech on removing Marjorie Taylor Greene from committees. KMIZ-TV, February 4, 2021.
  29. "Caucus Membrs". US House of Representatives. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  30. 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.
  31. 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.
  32. 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.
  33. 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.
  34. "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.
  35. 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.
  36. "Pastor Cori Bush Activist". Conscious Campus. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  37. 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.
  38. "Once homeless, Cori Bush ousts 20-year Rep. Lacy Clay in Missouri primary: "They counted us out"". www.cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  39. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  40. "Missouri Primary Election Results: First House District". September 24, 2018. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020 – via NYTimes.com.
  41. "State of Missouri – Primary Election, August 04, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
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
382nd		 Succeeded by
Kat Cammack
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