Wesley Bell is the Prosecuting Attorney of St. Louis County in Missouri — an elected position, equivalent to that of a “district attorney” — and was elected in 2019. After announcing his candidacy for the Senate against Hawley on June 7, Bell announced on Monday that he would instead run for Bush’s House seat following her commentary about Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas.

“Over the last several weeks, as I’ve campaigned around the state, I’ve heard one refrain from Democrats above all else; yes, we need you in Washington, but St. Louis needs you in the House of Representatives,” Bell wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. In a press conference after announcing his decision, Bell referred to Bush’s position on Israel as a major difference between the two.

(via Off the Press)

[Good. Democrats need to clean up their act by cutting loose the Hamas Caucus, including Bush but also Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley. Ilhan Omar, and AOC. I wonder whether some institutional Dem donors convinced Bell to redirect his efforts for that purpose. If so, it’s worth watching those other Squad districts to see if more challenges emerge soon. — Ed]