Cori Bush

Cori Bush
Born	Cori Anika Bush 21 7, 1976
Birthplace	St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician, nurse, pastor, activist
Known for	First African-American woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives; member of "the Squad"
Education	Lutheran School of Nursing (DipN) Harris-Stowe State University
Children	2

Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, registered nurse, ordained pastor, and activist from St. Louis, Missouri, who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 1st congressional district from January 3, 2021, to January 3, 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, Bush rose to national prominence through her involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement and the protest actions that followed the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. She became the first African-American woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives when she defeated 10-term incumbent Lacy Clay in the 2020 Democratic primary, an outcome widely described as an upset. During her time in Congress, Bush served as a member of the progressive group known as "the Squad." Her first primary challenge against Clay, in 2018, was documented in the 2019 Netflix film Knock Down the House. In August 2024, Bush lost the Democratic primary for her seat to challenger Wesley Bell. In October 2025, she announced a bid to reclaim the seat in the 2026 election cycle.

Early Life

Cori Anika Bush was born on July 21, 1976, in St. Louis, Missouri. She grew up in the St. Louis metropolitan area and was raised in a community shaped by the deep racial and economic inequalities that have long characterized the region. Bush has spoken publicly about experiencing periods of poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence during her early adult life, experiences that she has cited as formative in her decision to enter public service and activism.

Bush became an ordained pastor and has served in a ministry capacity in the St. Louis area. Her path into national activism began in August 2014, when the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer sparked weeks of protests in the St. Louis suburb. Bush became a prominent participant in the protest movement that emerged in Ferguson and subsequently became involved in the broader Black Lives Matter movement. She has described her experience on the front lines of the Ferguson protests as a turning point in her life, one that propelled her from community-level pastoral and nursing work into political organizing and, eventually, electoral politics.

As a registered nurse, Bush worked in community health settings in and around St. Louis. Her dual vocations as a nurse and a pastor placed her at the intersection of public health and social justice advocacy, themes that would define much of her later political career.

Education

Bush attended Harris-Stowe State University, a historically Black university in St. Louis. She also studied nursing at Lutheran School of Nursing, where she earned a diploma in nursing (DipN), which qualified her to work as a registered nurse.

Career

Activism and Community Work

Bush's activism career accelerated following the 2014 Ferguson protests. She emerged as a vocal advocate for police accountability, racial justice, and the rights of marginalized communities in the St. Louis region. Her pastoral work and nursing background informed her approach to community organizing, and she became a recognized figure in the local movement for social justice. In January 2016, Bush delivered the keynote address at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Toledo, Ohio, reflecting her growing profile as a speaker and activist connected to the Ferguson movement.

Bush's activism drew the attention of national progressive organizations. Brand New Congress, a political action committee founded in 2016 with the goal of recruiting and supporting a slate of progressive candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, identified Bush as a potential candidate. This connection would prove instrumental in her transition from activism to electoral politics.

2016 U.S. Senate Campaign

Bush's first foray into electoral politics came in 2016, when she ran in the Democratic primary for the United States Senate seat in Missouri. The race was ultimately won by Jason Kander, who secured the Democratic nomination. Bush's campaign did not gain significant traction in the crowded primary field, but the experience provided her with a foundation in campaign organizing and policy advocacy that she would build upon in subsequent races.

2018 Congressional Campaign

In 2018, Bush mounted her first challenge to Lacy Clay, the long-serving Democratic incumbent in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Clay, the son of former Congressman Bill Clay, had held the seat since 2001 and was widely seen as politically entrenched in the district.

Bush's campaign was bolstered by the national attention surrounding the unexpected June 2018 primary victory of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over longtime incumbent Joe Crowley in New York's 14th Congressional District. The Ocasio-Cortez upset energized progressive challengers across the country, and Bush's campaign received increased media attention as a result.

Despite a spirited campaign, Bush lost to Clay in the August 2018 Democratic primary. The experience, however, raised her profile and strengthened her organizational base in the district. Her 2018 campaign was subsequently featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary Knock Down the House, which followed Bush and three other progressive women — including Ocasio-Cortez — as they challenged incumbent Democrats in primary elections. The film brought Bush's story and the conditions in Ferguson and St. Louis to a national audience.

2020 Congressional Campaign

Bush launched a second challenge to Lacy Clay ahead of the 2020 Democratic primary. This time, her campaign benefited from a stronger organizational infrastructure, greater name recognition following the release of Knock Down the House, and endorsements from prominent progressive figures. In July 2020, Jamaal Bowman, a progressive who had recently won his own primary upset in New York, endorsed Bush's campaign.

The political landscape had also shifted significantly since 2018. The nationwide protests following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020 had reignited public attention to issues of police violence and racial justice — themes central to Bush's candidacy and her personal history as a Ferguson activist. Progressive challengers across the country gained momentum in the 2020 primary cycle, and Bush's message resonated with a Democratic electorate increasingly focused on systemic inequality.

On August 4, 2020, Bush defeated Clay in the Democratic primary, an outcome that drew national attention. The victory ended a political dynasty: the Clay family had held the 1st Congressional District seat for more than 50 years, with Bill Clay serving from 1969 to 2001 and Lacy Clay from 2001 to 2021. Major news outlets characterized the result as a significant upset.

Because Missouri's 1st Congressional District is a solidly Democratic seat, Bush's primary victory was tantamount to election. She won the November 2020 general election and became the first African-American woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House of Representatives (2021–2025)

Bush took office on January 3, 2021, succeeding Lacy Clay. In Congress, she was associated with the progressive caucus and became a member of the informal group known as "the Squad," which included Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Bowman, among others. The Squad gained attention for advocating positions to the left of the broader Democratic caucus on issues including healthcare, housing, climate policy, and U.S. foreign policy.

During her tenure, Bush drew on her background as a nurse, pastor, and activist to advocate for healthcare access, affordable housing, and police reform. Her personal experience with homelessness informed her work on housing policy, and she was a vocal proponent of expanding the social safety net.

Bush was also outspoken on U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her positions on the conflict, including her criticism of U.S. military aid to Israel, placed her at odds with some members of the Democratic establishment and attracted significant attention from pro-Israel lobbying groups.

2024 Primary Loss

In August 2024, Bush faced a primary challenge from Wesley Bell, the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, for the Democratic nomination in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. The race received what observers described as "outsize attention," in part because of the significant financial investment by pro-Israel lobbying groups that spent large amounts to defeat Bush in the context of her positions on the war in Gaza.

Bell defeated Bush in the primary, winning approximately 51.1% of the vote to Bush's 45.6%. Bush's loss, along with the primary defeat of Jamaal Bowman in New York earlier that summer, was noted by political commentators as part of a broader pattern of primary challenges against progressive members of the Squad.

Bell went on to win the general election and succeeded Bush in Congress on January 3, 2025.

2026 Congressional Campaign

On October 3, 2025, Bush announced that she would seek to reclaim Missouri's 1st Congressional District in the 2026 election, setting up a rematch with incumbent Wesley Bell. In an interview with St. Louis Public Radio, Bush stated that she was running because "St. Louis needs a fighter" and suggested that changing attitudes among St. Louis Democrats could support her return to Congress.

Bush's comeback bid received early endorsements from progressive organizations. Justice Democrats, the political action committee that had supported her original 2020 campaign, endorsed her for the 2026 race. National Nurses United also endorsed Bush, citing her advocacy for healthcare issues during her time in Congress.

The rematch between Bush and Bell attracted renewed media attention, with political observers noting the intensity of the 2024 contest and the unresolved tensions within the Democratic Party between its progressive and establishment wings.

Personal Life

Bush is the mother of two children. She is an ordained pastor and has been involved in faith-based community work in the St. Louis area. Bush has spoken publicly about her experiences with homelessness and domestic violence, framing these as central to her political identity and her understanding of the challenges facing her constituents.

In January 2026, Bush's husband faced legal proceedings related to charges of defrauding a pandemic-era loan program. He avoided conviction on the charges.

Bush resides in the St. Louis area.

Recognition

Bush's 2020 primary victory over Lacy Clay was one of the most-covered congressional primary upsets of the year, drawing comparisons to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 2018 defeat of Joe Crowley. Her election as the first African-American woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. House was noted as a historic milestone.

The 2019 Netflix documentary Knock Down the House brought Bush's 2018 campaign and her story as a Ferguson activist to a global audience. The film, directed by Rachel Lears, followed four progressive women challenging incumbent Democrats and received critical attention upon its release.

Bush's campaigns attracted endorsements from a range of progressive organizations and figures. Brand New Congress recruited her as a candidate during the 2018 cycle. Justice Democrats endorsed her in both her 2020 and 2026 campaigns. National Nurses United endorsed her 2026 bid, highlighting her work on healthcare policy. During the 2020 primary, she received the endorsement of Jamaal Bowman, a fellow progressive insurgent.

Her inclusion in "the Squad" placed Bush among the most prominent progressive voices in the U.S. House during her two terms, and her legislative priorities on housing, healthcare, and police reform received sustained media coverage throughout her time in office.

Legacy

Bush's political career is closely intertwined with the broader movement for racial justice that emerged from the Ferguson protests of 2014. Her trajectory from community activist and nurse to member of Congress reflected a pattern seen in other progressive candidates of the late 2010s and early 2020s, in which grassroots organizers transitioned directly into electoral politics. Her 2020 defeat of Lacy Clay ended a political dynasty that had controlled Missouri's 1st Congressional District for more than half a century, an outcome that underscored the capacity of insurgent primary campaigns to reshape Democratic politics at the district level.

Bush's time in Congress and her subsequent primary loss in 2024 also highlighted the tensions within the Democratic Party between its progressive and centrist factions, particularly on issues of U.S. foreign policy. The significant spending by outside groups in her 2024 primary drew attention to the role of money in Democratic primary elections and the influence of single-issue lobbying in shaping congressional representation.

Her decision to seek a comeback in 2026 continued a pattern of persistence that defined her political career from its inception. Having lost her first two electoral campaigns — the 2016 Senate primary and the 2018 House primary — before winning in 2020, Bush demonstrated a willingness to run repeated campaigns in pursuit of office.

As of early 2026, the outcome of Bush's bid to return to Congress remained to be determined, with her rematch against Wesley Bell positioned as one of the more closely watched Democratic primaries of the 2026 cycle.