OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A shocking new poll finds far-left “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri far behind a Democratic primary challenger, indicating she could be on her way out of Congress.
A new poll by GOP firm Remington Research finds Bush losing by 22 points to rival Wesley Bell in the Aug. 6 contest, the New York Post reported, citing the results of the small-sample survey.
“It’s a big red flag for far-left Squad lawmakers,” Josh Kraushar, editor-in-chief of Jewish Insider, posted on X. “This data is yet another example why pandering to the left-wing radicalism on Israel in the Dem party is a counterproductive strategy for Biden.”
The sample of just 401 respondents is small, but the results are shocking nonetheless.
According to the survey conducted last week, 50 percent of respondents expressed support for Bell, a former prosecutor, while only 28 percent favored Bush. The margin of error for the poll was 4.9 percent, The Post noted.
The outlet added:
Bush has been … one of the sharpest critics of the Israeli government in Congress and a vocal advocate for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Her criticism of Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, which killed at least 1,200 people, has made her a lightning rod and shows the chasm separating Democrats about how to respond to the Israel-Hamas war.
Some of what Bush has said have caused her some blowback within her Missouri congressional district, which includes all of St. Louis and some of its suburbs — but she has not backed down.
Whoever wins the primary will be the heavy favorite to win the November election, as her district is considered solidly Democrat and about 50 percent black.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is investigating Bush on suspicion of misusing federal funds that were intended for private security.
Punchbowl News first reported the allegations after they became public in late January.
On Tuesday afternoon, the House clerk officially read a message from the Sergeant at Arms’ office, informing the House chamber that they had received a grand jury subpoena from the DOJ.
“The Sergeant at Arms is the chief law enforcement and protocol officer of the House of Representatives and is responsible for maintaining order in the House side of the United States Capitol complex,” the official House website said, according to Breitbart News.
“The Sergeant at Arms reviews and implements all issues relating to the safety and security of Members of Congress and the Capitol complex. The Sergeant at Arms also coordinates extensively with the U.S. Capitol Police and various intelligence agencies to assess threats against Members of Congress and the Capitol complex,” the notice added.
While the notice did not name the Democratic lawmaker, subsequent reports noted that it is Bush who has been under scrutiny recently for using private security.
Bush was the subject of a complaint filed against her by a government watchdog group that is asking the Federal Elections Commission to investigate her payments to her husband for private security services, Fox News reported.
The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust sent the complaint to Lisa Stevenson, the acting general counsel for the FEC, in March, asking the commission to investigate whether “Rep. Cori Bush and her campaign committee may have used campaign funds for personal use.”
“Bush’s campaign paid her now-husband, Cortney Merritts, $60,000 for security in 2022 despite him not having a private security license, which is needed to conduct such services in the St. Louis region. While Merritts collected the payments, Bush’s campaign also spent $225,281 with PEACE Security and $50,000 with an individual named Nathaniel Davis for personal protection,” Fox News reported.
“It appears Rep. Bush’s campaign may have made payments for services that were unnecessary or above fair market value because of her personal relationship with the payee,” the group said. “If so, these payments would qualify as either impermissible payments to a family member or an impermissible gift.”
“Therefore, we request the FEC investigate whether Rep. Bush converted campaign funds for personal use by paying a salary that was not for bona fide services at fair market value,” it said. “Ultimately, if one or more campaign laws are found to have been broken, we request the FEC hold the respondents accountable.”
