Cori Bush pulled off quite the upset when she unseated Lacy Clay in 2020’s Democratic primary for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. As I observed following her win in the general election that year:
Missouri’s newest addition to their Congressional delegation is sure to be a big hit — with those who adore The Squad. Cori Bush (D-Mo) pulled off a bit of an upset in the Democratic primary earlier this year when she picked off Lacy Clay, who’s held the 1st Congressional District seat since 1991. Clay’s father, Bill, preceded him and held the office beginning in 1969.
Since winning the seat, Bush has made a name (of sorts) for herself. We’ve covered many of her exploits here on the pages of RedState:
AOC Leads House Floor ‘Group Therapy Session’ About Jan. 6, Cori Bush’s Response Is Something Else
In Stunning Move, Cori Bush Manages to Cancel Women With Just Two Words (Watch)
Ted Cruz Puts the Kibosh on Cori Bush’s Disgusting Independence Day Comments
RedState’s Chris Arps reported this past November that Bush would have a Republican challenger in the mid-terms. Business executive Andrew Jones announced he would be taking on Bush, explaining:
It’s time for a change in the 1st District. Our families are struggling under the weight of inflation and out of control prices. There is a growing crime epidemic in our communities and our children are suffering under a chronic underperforming education system. We don’t need a socialist ideologue that divides people based upon income, race and background. What we need is common sense representation that will put the interest of St. Louis and St. Louis County first; that is why I am running for Congress to provide real answers for real challenges.
But now it appears that Bush will have another battle to fight before she can face off with Jones. On Monday, Democrat State Senator Steve Roberts announced his own candidacy for the 1st District.
Proud to announce my candidacy for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District! 🇺🇸 @ Secretary Of State Of Missouri https://t.co/8hJxzvBs0t
— Steven Roberts (@RobertsforSTL) March 29, 2022
Roberts received his law degree from Pepperdine University and is a Captain in the JAG Corps for the Missouri Air National Guard. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2016, where he served as Chairman of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus. After two terms in the House, Roberts was sworn in as a State Senator in January 2021. From his Senate bio:
Senator Roberts holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Communication Studies from the University of Miami and received his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law. While in law school, his experiences included working in the U.S. Congress as a legislative intern; as a certified law clerk with the District Attorney’s Office in the City of Compton, California; assisting the Counsel to Secure Justice in New Delhi, India, to help victims of violent sexual assault; and in his final semester, he worked with a clinic in downtown Los Angeles helping refugees fleeing persecution in their country obtain asylum in the United States. After graduating law school, he joined AP Wireless Infrastructure Partners, LLC as a member of a team of attorneys responsible for managing over $200 million of company assets. Following the events in Ferguson, Sen. Roberts returned to serve his community as a prosecutor for the City of St. Louis where he participated in over a hundred cases from minor weapons offenses to homicides.
In addition to his legislative duties, Sen. Roberts serves as a Captain with the Missouri Air National Guard in the JAG Corps. He graduated from the United States Air Force’s Judge Advocate Staff Officer Course (JASOC) and was selected as the Senior Ranking Officer for the entire JASOC class of approximately 50 attorneys. The JAG Corps is an elite group of law professionals who provide a full range of legal services to the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Force, airmen and guardians. He is also the managing partner of Roberts Law, LLC.
In connection with the announcement, Roberts laid out the rationale for his run, noting the lack of results from Bush:
“Over the past several months I’ve had numerous people encouraging me to run,” said Roberts in a news release. “We all had the highest hopes for Congresswoman Bush, but she’s shown over the past year and a half that she’s not interested in the job of United States Representative. We don’t have time for slogans; I’m ready to get to work, bring people together, and deliver results for the families of the 1st district.”
Spokesperson Ryan Hawkins added:
“Voting NO on so many issues that affect families in the 1st district like fixing our roads and bridges, clean air, clean water, support for Ukraine during a time of war, and Capitol security after January 6 — for nothing more than political theater — clearly shows the congresswoman is only concerned about Twitter likes and seeking the celebrity status.”
It’s true, Cori Bush is now an incumbent (albeit, a first-term incumbent), and has been warmly embraced by “The Squad,” but she now faces not one but two formidable challenges in order to hold onto her seat. Perhaps rather than insisting to the police (and the Pentagon) that she’d like to “defund your butts,” Bush might want to concentrate on defending her own.
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