Cori Bush
Democrat Representative of Missouri's 1st district
Representative
Missouri, district 1
January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2023
Representative
Missouri, district 1
January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025
2
Congresses Served
2
House Terms
July 21, 1976 (48 years old)
Birthday
- American politician, nurse, pastor, and activist
- Serves as a U.S. representative since 2021
- First African-American woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives from her state
- Defeated a 10-term incumbent in a historic upset during the 2020 primary election
- Previously ran in the Democratic primary for her district in 2018 and the U.S. Senate election in 2016
- Featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary “Knock Down the House”
- Member of “The Squad” in the House of Representatives
- Born and raised in St. Louis, faced personal challenges including teenage pregnancy and homelessness
- Became a political activist during the 2014 Ferguson unrest
- Advocates for policies including defunding the police, criminal justice reform, abortion rights, Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, tuition-free state college and trade school, and canceling student debt
- Endorsed by, and is a member of, the Democratic Socialists of America
- Supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and has called Israel an “apartheid state”
- Has taken a leading role in efforts to extend eviction moratoriums and secure funding for community projects
- Voted against funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and condemned violence in the Israel–Hamas conflict
- Successfully advocated for the inclusion of funds in the Federal Transit Administration Climate Relief Fund
- Has faced investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for alleged misuse of federal security money, but the case was dismissed by the Office of Congressional Ethics
- Secured over $13 million in federal earmarks for the St. Louis area for the 2024 fiscal year