Cori Bush
Cori Bush | |
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![]() Bush in 2021 | |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 1st district | |
Assumed office January 3, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Lacy Clay |
Personal details | |
Born | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | July 21, 1976
Political party | Democratic |
Other political affiliations | Democratic Socialists of America[a] |
Children | 2 |
Education | Lutheran School of Nursing |
Website | House website |
Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976)[2] is an American politician, registered nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist serving as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 1st congressional district.[3][4] 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.[5] Her father, Errol Bush, is an alderman in Northwoods, Missouri and previously served as mayor.[6][7][8] Bush studied at Harris–Stowe State University for one year (1995–96)[9] and worked at a preschool until 2001.[10] She earned a Diploma in Nursing from the Lutheran School of Nursing in 2008.[9][10][11] From 2011 to 2014, she served as a pastor at Kingdom Embassy International Church.[10][11]
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,[10] during which she worked as a triage nurse and organizer. She has said she was hit by a police officer.[12] Bush is a Nonviolence 365 Ambassador with the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change.[12]
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.[13][14]
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.[15] Her campaign was featured in the Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, alongside those of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, and Paula Jean Swearengin.[16][17] Clay defeated Bush 56.7% to 36.9%.[18]
2020
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Cori_Bush_2020_salmon_purple_logo.png/220px-Cori_Bush_2020_salmon_purple_logo.png)
In 2020, Bush ran against Clay again.[19][4][20] She was endorsed by progressive organizations, including Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, and Brand New Congress, and she received personal endorsements from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, NY-16 Democratic nominee Jamaal Bowman,[21][22] former Ohio state Senator Nina Turner,[23] activist Angela Davis,[23] West Virginia Democratic nominee for Senate Paula Jean Swearengin,[24] and actress Michelle Forbes.[citation needed]
External videos | |
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Bush narrowly defeated Clay in the primary election in what was widely seen as an upset.[25] Bush received 48.5% of the vote, winning St. Louis City and narrowly losing suburban St. Louis County. Her primary victory was considered tantamount to election in the heavily Democratic district.[26] Her primary win ended the Clay family's 52-year hold on the district. Clay's father, Bill, won the seat in 1968 and was succeeded by his son in 2000.[27][28][29] 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."[30]
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.[31] In 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".[32]
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.[10][33][34][35]
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."[36][37][38] On November 5, 2021, Bush was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote with a majority of Republicans against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, because it was not accompanied by the Build Back Better Act.[39]
As of July 2022, Bush had voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 93.0% of the time.[40]
Foreign and defense policy
Bush was one of four House Democrats to vote against H.R. 567: Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021, which would establish an interagency program to assist countries in North and West Africa to improve immediate and long-term capabilities to counter terrorist threats, and for other purposes.[41]
In September 2021, Bush was among 38 House Democrats to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022.[42][43] She was among 51 House Democrats to vote against the final passage of the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.[44]
On September 23, Bush was one of eight Democrats to vote against the funding of Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.[45]
In November, Bush was one of 29 House Democrats to vote against the RENACER Act, which extended U.S. sanctions against Nicaragua and granted the president several ways to address acts of corruption and human rights violations by the Daniel Ortega administration, including the power to exclude Nicaragua from the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and to obstruct multilateral loans to the country.[46][47]
In July 2022, Bush was one of 77 House Democrats to vote for an amendment that would have cut the proposed defense budget by $100 billion.[48] On the same day, she was one of 137 House Democrats to vote for a separate amendment that would have removed a proposed $37 billion spending increase in the defense budget.[49]
Committee assignments
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Progressive Caucus[51]
- Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Medicare for All Caucus
Political positions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Cori_Bush%2C_July_2020.png/220px-Cori_Bush%2C_July_2020.png)
Bush is a progressive Democrat, supporting policies such as defunding the police,[36][37][38] 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.[52] She was endorsed by, and is a member of, the Democratic Socialists of America.[53][54] Bush supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement[55] and has called Israel an "apartheid state."[56] She stands "unwaveringly with Black Lives Matter's demands".[20]
During her campaign, Bush advocated defunding the United States Armed Forces. After receiving criticism from California 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.[57]
After supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, 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 changed 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 street.[58]
Personal life
Bush lives in St. Louis, Missouri. She has two children.[59] 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.[10][60]
In May 2021, Bush 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. She attributed this to "harsh and racist treatment" that Black women face during pregnancy and childbirth.[61] In a subsequent tweet, she wrote, "Every day, Black birthing people and our babies die because our doctors don't believe our pain."[62][63]
Electoral history
2016
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
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
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 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Cori Bush | 249,087 | 78.7 | |
Republican | Anthony Rogers | 59,940 | 18.9 | |
Libertarian | Alex Furman | 6,766 | 2.1 | |
Write-in | 378 | 0.1 | ||
Total votes | 316,171 | 100.0 |
2022
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Cori Bush | 65,208 | 69.5 | |
Democratic | Steve Roberts | 24,973 | 26.6 | |
Democratic | Michael Daniels | 1,682 | 1.8 | |
Democratic | Ron Harshaw | 1,063 | 1.1 | |
Democratic | Earl Childress | 926 | 1.0 | |
Total votes | 93,852 | 100.0 |
See also
- Black women in American politics
- List of African-American United States representatives
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
Explanatory notes
- ^ Democratic Socialists of America is not a registered political party, instead, it is a political organization for those with democratic socialist ideologies.[1]
References
- ^ Stein, Jeff (August 5, 2017). "9 questions about the Democratic Socialists of America you were too embarrassed to ask". Vox. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ "Cori Bush". Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Bush, Cori". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Gibson, Brittany (July 20, 2020). "Cori Bush Seeks to Be a Congresswoman Organizer". The American Prospect. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ "The Board | City of Northwoods". Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Errol S. Bush". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
- ^ a b "Pastor Cori Bush Activist". Conscious Campus. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Slodysko, Brian; Salter, Jim (August 4, 2021). "For Missouri Rep. Cori Bush, the eviction fight is personal". Associated Press. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ a b "Cori Bush's Biography". VoteSmart. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Cori Bush". Brand New Congress. August 3, 2020. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Endorsements". Cori Bush For Congress. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
- ^ Krieg, Gregory (July 23, 2020). "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Fandos, Nicholas (August 5, 2020). "Cori Bush Defeats William Lacy Clay in a Show of Progressive Might". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Gregory Krieg (August 5, 2020). "Lacy Clay defeated by progressive primary challenger Cori Bush, CNN projects". CNN. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ @CoriBush (January 3, 2021). "Squad up" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cori Bush calls to 'impeach the white supremacist-in-chief'. PBS Newshour, January 13, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Annie Grayer (November 6, 2021). "These 6 House Democrats voted against the infrastructure bill. These 13 Republicans voted for it". CNN. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
- ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ "H.R. 567: Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership Program Act of 2021". GovTrack. June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Kheel, Rebecca (September 23, 2021). "House passes sweeping defense policy bill". The Hill. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "H.R. 4350: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 -- House Vote #293 -- Sep 23, 2021".
- ^ "S. 1605: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 -- House Vote #405 -- Dec 7, 2021".
- ^ Roche, Darragh (September 24, 2021). "Full List of Representatives Who Voted Against Funding Israel's Iron Dome". Newsweek. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
- ^ "RENACER Act -- Nov 3, 2021".
- ^ Ardila, Erika (November 10, 2021). "Biden enacts the RENACER Act". AL DÍA News. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "House Resolution 7900 Lee of California Part A Amendment No. 13 -- Jul 13, 2022".
- ^ "House Resolution 7900 Lee of California Part A Amendment No. 14 -- Jul 13, 2022".
- ^ @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.
- ^ "Caucus Membrs". US House of Representatives. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Day, Meagan (August 7, 2020). "Cori Bush on How She Took On the Political Establishment and Won". Jacobin. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Rep. Cori Bush calls Israel an 'apartheid state' after voting against Iron Dome funding". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "State of Missouri - Election Night Results". Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "State of Missouri – Primary Election, August 04, 2020". Missouri Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "State of Missouri – Primary Election, August 02, 2022". Missouri Secretary of State. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
External links
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Representative Cori Bush official U.S. House website
- Campaign website
- Cori Bush at IMDb
- 1976 births
- Living people
- 20th-century African-American people
- 20th-century African-American women
- African-American activists
- 21st-century African-American politicians
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- 21st-century American women politicians
- Activists from St. Louis
- African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
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- African-American people in Missouri politics
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- Black Lives Matter people
- Candidates in the 2016 United States Senate elections
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- Members of the Democratic Socialists of America
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