Independent.com:
Speaking to supporters while wearing a mask, Bush said few people expected her to win
Cori Bush, a onetime homeless woman who led protests following a white police officer’s fatal shooting of a black 18-year-old in Ferguson, ousted longtime Rep. William Lacy Clay Tuesday in Missouri’s Democratic primary, ending a political dynasty that has spanned more than a half-century.
Bush’s victory came in a rematch of 2018, when she failed to capitalise on a national Democratic wave that favoured political newcomers such as Bush’s friend, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But this time around, Bush’s supporters said protests over the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis and outrage over racial injustice finally pushed her over the edge.
An emotional Bush, speaking to supporters while wearing a mask, said few people expected her to win.
“They counted us out,” she said. “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.”
Bush’s campaign spokeswoman, Keenan Korth, said voters in the district were “galvanised”.
“They’re ready to turn the page on decades of failed leadership,” Korth said.
Bush, 44, also had backing from political action committee Justice Democrats and Fight Corporate Monopolies this election. She campaigned for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders during his presidential bid.
