Cori Bush Won the Democratic Primary in Missouri

Cori Bush won the Democratic primary in Missouri on Tuesday night defeating longtime Congressman William Lacy Clay. Bush, 44, is a progressive candidate who became well known in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House which also featured New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's first run for Congress.

“Tonight, Missouri’s 1st District has decided that an incremental approach isn’t going to work any longer,” Bush said to supporters at a news conference reported on by the New York Times. “We decided that we the people have the answers, and we will lead from the front lines.”

She then went on to highlight how she will likely become the first Black woman to represent Missouri and how her experiences with police officers will be part of her agenda in Congress. “I was maced and beaten by those same police officers in those same streets. Six months from now, as the first Black congresswoman in the entire history of Missouri, I will be holding every single one of them accountable."

Bush then added: “If you didn’t understand what happened, what was birthed right here in St. Louis, Missouri, in St. Louis County, in Ferguson, we’re about to show you.”

In June, Bush wrote an essay for Elle to highlight the need for a Black Lives Matter activist in Congress. "As Black folks, we have been fighting for our lives on a daily basis ever since we were forcibly brought to America. That’s violence against us. In St. Louis, we've been fighting for our lives against some of the worst segregation in the country. That’s violence. We’ve had to fight to survive under Trump’s presidency and through the COVID-19 pandemic that has devastated the Black community more than any other. That's more violence. The economic and health disparities we face have existed for far too long, with the same people in power tasked with closing those gaps," she wrote. "Now, we the people have decided to lead, advocate, educate, and empower."