Former Rep. Cori Bush announced that she is attempting to reclaim her old congressional seat in Missouri.
Bush, who previously represented Missouri’s 1st congressional district, announced Friday that she is launching another campaign after being ousted in 2024 by Rep. Wesley Bell.
In a video posted to X, Bush insisted St. Louis deserves leaders who act boldly and refuse to bow to political pressure.
“I ran for Congress to change things for regular people,” she said, adding that she is running again because her city deserves leadership that “doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t answer to wealthy donors and doesn’t hide when things get tough.”
St. Louis deserves a leader who is built different. That’s why I’m running to represent Missouri’s 1st District in Congress.
We need a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer. I’ll be that fighter.
Join us: https://t.co/9T0EkpWvIL pic.twitter.com/TzONoSX5FC
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) October 3, 2025
She also posted online that Missourians need “a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer.”
Her return to the campaign trail signals that she is unwilling to step aside quietly despite her loss just a year ago.
During her time in Congress, Bush became one of the most visible members of the progressive “Squad,” standing alongside Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar.
Her political record included calls to defund the police and even to strip funding from the Pentagon.
In 2023, she introduced a resolution demanding $14 trillion in reparations from the federal government.
She also angered members of her own party when she referred to Israel as an “apartheid state,” drawing condemnation and opening space for pro-Israel groups to heavily fund her primary challengers.
Rep. Bell, who unseated Bush in 2024, responded quickly to her latest announcement.
“Today my former opponent, Cori Bush, entered the race for Congress. That’s her right, and in our democracy, everyone gets a say,” he wrote on X.
Today my former opponent, Cori Bush, entered the race for Congress. That’s her right, and in our democracy, everyone gets a say.
But here’s the simple truth: Missouri voters already rendered their verdict when they voted her out of office last year and chose to move on.
🧵⬇️
— Wesley Bell for Congress (@bell4mo) October 3, 2025
“But here’s the simple truth: Missouri voters already rendered their verdict when they voted her out of office last year and chose to move on.”
Bush’s decision to run again comes as another controversial figure, former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, seeks to rejoin Congress in Florida.
Cawthorn unveiled his campaign video portraying the Sunshine State as “the heart of the MAGA movement.”
He described himself as a fighter dismissed by the establishment and vowed to carry forward the “America First mantle” in support of President Donald Trump.
Cawthorn represented North Carolina’s 11th congressional district from 2021 to 2023 before losing his seat after a turbulent term riddled with scandals.
He registered to vote in Florida in 2023 and will now enter a crowded GOP primary to replace Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor.
“I’m running for Congress to stand with President Trump, defend our conservative values, and fight to stop the radical left every single time,” Cawthorn declared in his campaign video.
He added in a Fox News interview that Charlie Kirk’s assassination pushed him to reenter politics.
“After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I knew that there was really no option. I’ve decided to run for Congress again.”
The 30-year-old acknowledged that he had been considering a run since Donalds announced his gubernatorial bid but said the attack on Kirk solidified his decision.
“I want to make sure [the people of Florida] have amazing representation in Washington, D.C., because I know exactly what happens in the swamp,” he said.
Cawthorn added that too many exploit new lawmakers and insisted, “I think that I’m the right man for the job.”
His campaign, however, will face the shadow of past controversies. He previously alleged without proof that GOP colleagues invited him to sex parties involving cocaine use.
His term also included leaked videos, sexual misconduct allegations, insider trading accusations, and repeated attempts to carry firearms onto commercial flights.
He was arrested in 2022 for driving with a revoked license and again this year in Florida after missing a court appearance tied to another traffic offense.
Cawthorn’s representatives downplayed the latest arrest as a scheduling misunderstanding, saying he was released quickly after posting bond.
While Bush and Cawthorn attempt comebacks in different corners of the country, Corey Lewandowski, a close ally to President Trump and senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, stirred speculation in New Hampshire.
Lewandowski posted Thursday on X that “being a governor is the best job in politics” and hinted he might pursue the office himself.
This is news worthy. Wow https://t.co/1SAS6vyi6O
— Corey R. Lewandowski (@CLewandowski_) October 2, 2025
“Governor is the only job in politics I would ever consider giving up what I am currently doing for,” he reportedly texted.
Lewandowski, who managed Trump’s 2016 campaign and later advised his 2024 run, amplified the rumors by reposting a Politico story about his potential candidacy and reacting, “This is newsworthy. Wow.”
She needs to be in jail