Cori Bush wants to return to Congress.
The St. Louis Democrat announced on Friday that she is running to represent Missouri's St. Louis- and St. Louis County-based 1st Congressional District. That puts her on a collision course for next year's race with Democratic Congressman Wesley Bell, who defeated Bush in one of the most expensive congressional primaries in American history.
"Right now, we are in the fight of our lives. It isn't politics as usual, and we can't afford to operate as such. This is about survival for our families, and the moment is now," Bush said in a statement. "I'm running because Missouri's First deserves leadership that's built different. A leader who doesn't just navigate a broken system, but works to build a better one."
Bush has remained publicly active since Bell defeated her by roughly 5.5 percentage points in the August 2024 primary, including assisting in relief efforts after the devastating May 16 tornado.
She's also been critical of Bell, including for his continued support of Israel as its military invasion of Gaza enters its third year. In a video announcing her candidacy, Bush alluded to how groups supportive of Israel, such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, spent millions of dollars against her reelection campaign in 2024.
"Because I spoke truth, they pushed back. Attacked my name, my motives, spread lies and hate," Bush said in the announcement video. "But even after leaving office, when the storms came, I showed up on the ground because that's what needed to be done, and that's what our district deserves."
Later on Friday, Bell said in a statement that Bush's decision to run again "is her right, and in our democracy, everyone gets a say."
"But here's the simple truth: Missouri voters already rendered their verdict when they voted her out of office last year and chose to move on," Bell said. "St. Louis deserves real results and honest representation, not more headlines or scandals. When it came time to deliver, Cori Bush's focus wasn't on our community, but on her own national agenda. That's why our district was left behind."
If the rematch between Bell and Bush is anything like the 2024 race, it will be bruising and nasty. Bell and his supportive PACs criticized Bush for missing votes and for opposing President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill.
Bush contended that Bell's decision to run was opportunistic, especially as he was running for the U.S. Senate before switching course in late October 2023.
Bell substantially cut into Bush's support in St. Louis County, including in largely African American townships. He also captured largely white St. Louis County municipalities and St. Louis wards that previously voted for Bush.
One unanswered question going into 2026 is the specific boundaries of the 1st Congressional District.
Lawmakers passed and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a new congressional map that keeps the 1st Congressional District as Missouri's only heavily Democratic seat. GOP legislators added a number of largely white suburbs to the district, and some Democratic state legislators have questioned if the 1st District is still majority African American, especially since the tornado displaced scores of families in predominantly Black neighborhoods in north St. Louis.
It's unclear if the new map will go into effect. Opponents of the redistricting plan launched a referendum campaign to place the new congressional boundaries up for a statewide vote. And several lawsuits are challenging the new map's constitutionality.
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