Wesley Bell

ST. LOUIS -- Cori Bush, a progressive Missouri firebrand who started her political career as a Black Lives Matter organizer in Ferguson, served two terms before losing a primary challenge to Wesley Bell, a moderate St. Louis prosecutor. They're now locked in an intense rematch that will serve as one of the clearest referendums on Democrats' shifting political landscape, including anger at the party establishment, rising skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel and the growing clout of democratic socialists.

Gripping a microphone outside the courthouse where the Dred Scott case over slavery was argued in 1847, Bush portrayed her ouster from Congress as another historic setback to be reversed.

"We're standing here saying, send back that descendant, send her back to the place that enslaved people built," Bush said. "This is our moment." The crowd chanted "send her back."

Both candidates are Black, with political careers rooted in the modern civil rights movement that began with the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. But they've taken divergent paths since then, and the race will test whether voters want to reelect Bell, who has fashioned himself as a pragmatist, or return to Bush, who views legislating and activism as inseparable.

Bush lost to Bell by less than six points two years ago. She blamed her loss on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's spending in the race and told supporters that "all they did was radicalize me." This time, her scathing criticisms of the war in Gaza and Democratic leaders have become more commonplace within the party, and she claims to have the "moral authority" in the rematch.

"It's not that they're necessarily scared of me. They're scared of what comes with me. They're scared of y'all," Bush told an audience of pro-Palestinian activists, Black Lives Matter organizers and democratic socialists who had traveled from across the country to canvass for her in the summer heat. Some held portable fans as they listened to hours of speeches by Bush's allies near St. Louis' Gateway Arch.

While Bush was in the park, Bell met with senior citizens at a historic Black church. He has dismissed Bush's attacks by arguing that he has been a more effective lawmaker, and he rallied with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday night, a sign of support from the Democratic establishment.

"She's not a serious candidate," Bell said in an interview. "In this election, the choices are clear. I wake up every day working for St. Louis, and the folks in St. Louis know that I'm going to wake up working for them. And then we've got an opponent, Cori, who wakes up thinking about Cori. And we've seen it over and over. And that's why she was fired."

Early voting for the Aug. 4 primary began Tuesday, but the two candidates have been trading recriminations for months.

They accuse each other of misconduct and impropriety.

Bush criticizes Bell over a lawsuit he's facing from protesters who report they were assaulted at his town hall last year, and a settlement over employment discrimination claims made by someone who worked in Bell's office when he was a prosecutor.

Bell highlights a previous Justice Department investigation into Bush's campaign spending, including how she paid her husband as part of her security detail.

Both candidates deny any wrongdoing.

AIPAC's role has also drawn national attention to the district at a time when the organization, which advocates for a closer U.S.-Israeli relationship, has been a lightning rod within the Democratic Party.

AIPAC has spent more than $1.2 million against Bush this year through United Democracy Project, its political action committee. New Democrat Majority, which backs moderate House Democrats, has spent an additional $1 million against Bush.