Moderate Democrats are outraising radical House lawmakers as primary threats mount around controversial “Squad” members.
Marxist Democrat Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) have both been entrenched in scandal in recent months.
Bush, a “defund the police” advocate, is currently under criminal investigation Justice Department for funneling tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to her husband for private security.
Bowman, meanwhile, provoked a widespread backlash last year after he was caught setting off a fire alarm in the Capitol to delay a contentious vote.
Both of the House Democrats appear to be now struggling to raise funds for re-election this year.
Bush was just narrowly outraised by her primary challenger, attorney Wesley Bell.
According to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Bell earned $492,149 in donations, compared to the $487,000 Bush raised during the last quarter of 2023.
“Missouri’s 1st District deserves a representative who shows up, does the work and gets things done,” Bell said in a statement to The Hill.
“I’m honored by our fast-growing list of endorsements from community members and local officials, and energized by the incredible momentum of support driving our campaign.”
Bowman, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after pulling an office fire alarm in the House, raked in about $724,000 in the last quarter of 2023, according to the latest FEC filings.
That compares to the $1.4 million raised by his opponent in New York’s 14th Congressional District, George Latimer.
“There is a fundamental weakness to Latimer’s fundraising,” Bill Neidhardt, a spokesperson for Bowman’s re-election push, told The Hill.
“His connection to Republican Trump megadonors.”
“His money won’t go as far in a Democratic primary where the electorate wants to hold Donald Trump accountable,” Neidhardt added.
A Westchester County Executive who entered the race in early December, Latimer traveled to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks to show support for the Jewish state and earned the endorsement from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Meanwhile, Bowman, who represents what is considered a safe blue seat, recently lost the endorsement of the progressive group J Street.
An organization that claims to be pro-Israel but has faced criticism because of its support for positions that allegedly favor Iran’s regime and the Palestinians, J Street rescinded its endorsement of Bowman on Jan. 30, arguing that the progressive congressman “crossed a line” in calling for a ceasefire and describing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a “genocide.”
Other anti-American “Squad” members, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), continue to rake in donations.
Despite their fundraising setbacks and controversial anti-Israel remarks, Bush and Bowman are still considered tough – and likely costly – to beat as progressive incumbents.
Their defeat, however, would signal a shift more toward the center of the Democratic Party in Congress.
“It’s a very small group to begin with,” Mark Mellman, a veteran Democrat pollster and leader of the Democratic Majority for Israel, told The Hill of members of Congress considered part of the progressive Squad.
“It would be good for the party and good for the country if it got smaller.”
READ MORE – Democrat Cori Bush Funnels Another $17,500 in Campaign Cash to Husband, Docs Show
