Cori Bush elected as first Black female congresswoman from Missouri
Cori Bush defeated longtime Rep. William Lacy Clay over the summer in a primary
Cori Bush, an activist who became nationally-known as she protested the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has been elected to Congress.
Bush was the projected winner in the 1st Congressional District between Republican Anthony Rogers and Libertarian Alex Furman, The New York Times reports. Her win was immediately welcomed on Twitter by progressives who have championed her campaign.
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“It’s official. The first-ever recruited Justice Democrat candidate @CoriBush is going to Congress. Six years ago police officers maced Cori in Ferguson as she helped spark a global movement,” the political action committee Justice Democrats tweeted.
“Three months from now she’ll be holding police accountable as a member of Congress.”
Earlier in the day, Bush spoke of her expected win and the honor that would come with being the first Black woman congressman elected to represent Missouri. She cast her ballot wearing a mask that had Breonna Taylor’s image emblazoned on it.
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“I am humbled and honored to be a part of this day, but to also be on this historical ballot as the Democratic nominee for the first district here in Missouri — poised to be the first Black congresswoman from the state of Missouri, the first woman from this district ever, the first Missouri nurse, and the first activist fighting for Black lives going to Congress,” she said, according to the St. Louis American.
Bush’s personal history struck a cord with voters. She was once homeless and became a Black Lives Matter activist following Brown’s death at the hands of former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in August of 2014.
As theGrio reported, Bush, 44, shocked the political establishment over the summer when she defeated longtime Rep. William Lacy Clay in Missouri’s Democratic primary in August after a previous loss to Lacey in 2018.
“They counted us out,” she said after the primary victory. “They called me — I’m just the protester, I’m just the activist with no name, no title, and no real money. That’s all they said that I was. But St. Louis showed up today.”
Watch Bush’s powerful speech below:
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