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Representative Cori Bush of Missouri describes being sexually assaulted and receiving an abortion in her latest campaign ad as she faces a heated primary.
The ad comes as pro-Israel groups target Bush for her support for a ceasefire in Gaza. Numerous pro-Israel groups spent more than $14m to successfully depose fellow Squad member Jamaal Bowman in New York’s 16th district’s Democratic primary last week. The race was the most expensive congressional primary in history.
Bush describes how the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson, which overturned Roe v Wade, decision reminded her of when she was sexually assaulted.
“At 17, I was assaulted and had an abortion,” she says. “It was devastating. I was devastated again 30 years later, when Republican extremists overturned Roe.”
Bush, a member of the Squad, faces a Democratic primary challenge from county prosecutor Wesley Bell. Organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s United Democracy Project super PAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel have sought to highlight when Bush voted against President Joe Biden.
Specifically, they have pointed to her vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Bush also highlighted in the advert how she has taken action to defend reproductive care.
“I’ve turned my hurt into action, defending access to abortion care, organizing to expand the court, and working with President Biden to protect abortion,” she said.
Conversely, she pointed to a story in HuffPost that found that Bell managed the campaign of an anti-abortion Republican.
“Wesley Bell worked to elect an anti-abortion Republican and is funded by anti-abortion Republicans,” she said.
Progressives have sought to point out the fact that AIPAC’s super PAC has been bankrolled by Republican megadonors.
The advertisement comes as UDP has spent 83 percent of the $3.5m spent in Missouri’s 1st district’s Democratic primary, according to AdImpact. The latest ad from the super PAC highlights Bell’s record of defending abortion rights.
Bush won a Democratic primary against longtime Democratic congressman William Lacy Clay Jr, whose father also held the seat before him, in 2020.
Bush has since become one of the most outspoken progressive voices in Congress.
She and fellow Squad members--including Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Bowman, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Delia Ramirez of Illinois, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota--have spoken publicly for their support for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas since the October 7th attack in Israel by Hamas that killed 1,200 people and led to a war in Gaza that has killed more than 35,000 people, many of whom are women and children.
