ST. LOUIS — Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Wednesday endorsed U.S. Rep. Cori Bush for reelection amid a heated primary, citing Bush’s work delivering federal dollars to the city.
In a news release, Jones said Bush helped bring millions of federal grant dollars for public schools and other city partners.
“I am proud to endorse Congresswoman Bush, a proven leader, partner, and coalition builder who is always putting the needs of St. Louis first,” Jones said.
In the same release, Bush highlighted her support for the American Rescue Plan Act and the roughly $500 million it provided to city government. She noted that more than $150 million has been earmarked to spur redevelopment on the long-suffering, predominantly Black north side of the city.
“These investments are paving the way for a more just and equitable St. Louis,” Bush said.
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Bush, a Democrat who was first elected to represent the 1st Congressional District in 2020, is facing a vigorous primary challenge from St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell.
And she has come under fire for her campaign spending on security, including employing her husband, and for her criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza, where news reports say more than 37,000 Palestinians, including many civilians, have been killed.
Bush and her campaign have pushed back on the criticism. They have maintained that payments to Bush’s husband, Cortney Merritts, are for bona fide services. And Bush has continued to defy Israeli interests in voting against military aid for the country’s war effort, which began last year after Palestinian Hamas militants launched terror attacks on Israeli soil.
But Bush has also sought to focus voters on other positions like her support for abortion rights and work bringing federal tax dollars to the district.
Bell brushed off the snub from the mayor in a written statement Wednesday.
“I look forward to working with Mayor Tishaura Jones on behalf of St. Louis when I get to Congress.”
Former state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, another candidate challenging Bush in the Democratic primary, responded to the news by trashing Bell.
Bush is a flawed candidate, she said, but Bell is worse. “(Bush) is her best option,” she said.
But Chappelle-Nadal said the mayor’s endorsement will only matter if Jones gets out and knocks doors for Bush.
“There are walking endorsements and paper endorsements,” she said. “We will see in the coming days if the mayor’s endorsement is a paper endorsement.”
The primary is on Aug. 6.
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East St. Louis Mayor Charles Powell III, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, and Mayor Tishaura O. Jones react as U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during an event on Monday, July 31, 2023, at the Emerson Park MetroLink station in East St. Louis to announce $27 million in disaster recovery funding for the MetroLink system.
View life in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.