Cori Bush Has No Regrets — The internet had a field day last summer when a picture surfaced of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., with his arm around a former Democratic member of Congress.

Cori Bush Has No Regrets The internet had a field day last summer when a picture (x.com) surfaced of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., with his arm around a former Democratic member of Congress. Hawley was at an event in St. Louis, Missouri, celebrating the inclusion of expanded funds for victims of nuclear radiation in President Donald Trump’s signature economic bill. In the photo, the far-right Republican smiled down on former Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who had worked with him on the measure, as he embraced her. Bush was no longer in Congress at the time. She was ousted from her St. Louis seat in a Democratic primary the summer before, after facing more than $18 million (theintercept.com › aipac cori bush election results wesley bell) in spending from outside groups (theintercept.com › dnc aipac squad cori bush summer lee), including the super PAC for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (theintercept.com › bernie sanders aipac israel weapons sales). Bush’s AIPAC-backed replacement, Rep. Wesley Bell, stood in the background of the photo, off to the side. “Cori, thank you,” Hawley (nbcnews.com)said (nbcnews.com). “We would not be here without you and your work.” It was a rare show of camaraderie between two officials who rarely saw eye to eye. Bush previously called (x.com) for Hawley’s removal from office in 2021 and said he had blood on his hands after making a show of solidarity with rioters who attacked the Capitol on January 6. “One thing that we both respect is fight,” Bush told The Intercept. “The community came to me and said, ‘Cori, where is our fighter?’” Though they might disagree on a swathe of other issues, they worked together to deliver the package because it was something they both believed in. Bush said the acknowledgment from Hawley was an honor, particularly because she was no longer in Congress when the bill was finalized. Zero Democrats in the House voted (clerk.house.gov) for the bill, though Bell said he supported the provision. “He decided that he wouldn’t forget about me,” Bush said. “And he said that with the current congressman standing behind him. He didn’t acknowledge him.” Asked recently about the event, Bell (stlpr.org › missouri primary bush bell democrat litmus)said (stlpr.org › missouri primary bush bell democrat litmus): “I never take it offensively when Josh Hawley does not give me credit.” (Bell’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.) Beyond sparking internet memes speculating that there had been a romantic bent to their embrace, the event and the subsequent photo distilled the heart of Bush’s argument in her campaign to win back her seat on Tuesday in a rematch against Bell. Bush told The Intercept this cycle is completely different from her last race. “This cycle, the momentum met me,” she said. “The community asked me to run. The community came to me and said, ‘Cori, where is our fighter?’” Two Paths From Ferguson In many ways, the protracted fight between Bell and Bush started long before either of them ran for Congress. It was the summer of 2014. Bush was working as a nurse and a pastor. Bell had just lost (extcontent.stlouisco.com › results) his first campaign for a seat on the St. Louis County Council. Four days after Bell lost the race, a Ferguson police officer shot and killed (theintercept.com) 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. Protests erupted that would rock the city and launch a nationwide movement a