Leaked Audio: “I’m NOT Running Against You,” Cori Bush’s Primary Challenger Told Her Months Before Running Against Her

Progressive prosecutor Wesley Bell pledged to stay out of the race—before millions of dollars enticed him in

St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell in June 2020. Photo: Michael B. Thomas via Getty.

Last June, local prosecutor Wesley Bell called Rep. Cori Bush to assure her that under no circumstances would he be running against her, according to audio of a phone call between Bell and Bush obtained by Drop Site News. A few months later, he launched his primary challenge against Bush for the Missouri House seat after being recruited by AIPAC.

Speculation about Bell’s intentions had been heightened after publication of a column by Joe Holleman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which noted the suspicions of local politicos that Bell was not fully committed to his announced run for Senate against Republican Josh Hawley, and may have been aiming to take on Bush. "My bet is that Mr. Bell is looking to raise his profile for a run against Congresswoman Cori Bush next year,” Ed Rhode, a former aide to the St. Louis mayor, and an adviser to numerous local politicians, told Holleman.

Bell told Bush that Hollemen was a “hack” and should be ignored. “Don't think for even a second that that's the case,” he told Bush. “And I'm telling you right now, I'm telling you on my word: I am not running against you. That is not happening.”

Bush told him she appreciated the call and the gesture. “I appreciate that,” she said. “I think the reason why people are asking me about it is because that's what Steve Roberts did.” Roberts was a state senator in Missouri who “said he was running for one seat and then he switched at the end and ran”—against Bush.

“I ain't no Steve Roberts,” Bell said. Four months after the June conversation between Bush and Bell, Hamas launched its attack on October 7, and Bell saw his opportunity as Bush led the push for a ceasefire. AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, let it be publicly known that a challenger to Bush would have effectively bottomless fundraising support.

AIPAC’s recruitment effort developed what consultants involved in the process began dubbing “a list of Black people”—a list of local Black politicians with a shot at toppling Bush. Bell topped the list, given the progressive bona fides he developed through his involvement in the Ferguson protests and later as a reform-minded prosecutor who toppled the local tough-on-crime district attorney. “This allegation is false and absurd,” an AIPAC spokesperson said.

In late October, Bell announced he’d be dropping out of the Senate race and challenging Bush. AIPAC’s super PAC has so far spent more than $7 million dollars supporting Bell. 

The audio of the call was not leaked to Drop Site by the Bush campaign, but by an activist who supported Bush and wanted the call to be in the public record before the August 6 primary. KSDK in St. Louis also obtained the audio from a source matching the same description, publishing it shortly after Drop Site was in touch with the Bell campaign. Bell campaign manager Jordan Sanders said to both outlets in a brief statement, “What this recording clearly shows is that Rep. Bush's attacks on Wesley are dishonest and cynically political, and she knows it -- given that she offered to endorse him.”

Bell’s money advantage, which is massive on the super PAC side, extends to his campaign as well. AIPAC has funneled millions directly to his campaign, helping him raise $4.8 million dollars to Bush’s $2.9 million. In the closing days of the campaign, Bell has $1.8 million left to spend, while Bush is down to just $350,000, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Earlier this year, fellow Squad member Rep. Jamaal Bowman was ousted in a New York state primary by George Latimer, who received some $17-million-plus in AIPAC backing —the most expensive House primary ever. 

This piece was updated with statements from the Bell campaign and from AIPAC, and with information from KSDK in St. Louis regarding its sourcing.