RALEIGH — Democratic U.S. Senate frontrunner Cheri Beasley has agreed to a joint fundraising committee with U.S. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) and two other progressive candidates, according to a Federal Elections Commission filing, dated June 14.
Bush is a member of Justice Democrats, which advocates for a “mission-driven caucus in Congress by electing more leaders like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jamaal Bowman, who will represent our communities in Congress and fight for bold, progressive solutions to our current crises.” Beasley is the only Senate candidate on the list.
Rep. Bush is a self-proclaimed democratic socialist and supporter of the anti-Israel BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement. She defeated a 10-term incumbent in the 2020 Democratic primary to win her seat representing the St. Louis area.
According to Beasley’s FEC filing, she authorized the joint fundraising account on June 18. The account is set up at Amalgamated Bank, a Washington, D.C.-based bank owned by the SEIU labor union. State Sen. Jeff Jackson, Beasley’s current top challenger in the Democratic primary, also houses his campaign account at the bank.
Recently, Bush posted an anti-Independence Day tweet, saying on July 4, “When they say that the 4th of July is about American freedom, remember this: the freedom they’re referring to is for white people. This land is stolen land and black people still aren’t free.”
Members of Justice Democrats, in addition to Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman, include U.S. Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
North State Journal reached out for comment regarding Beasley’s alignment with Bush but did not receive a response by press time.
The other Democratic candidates listed in the joint fundraising committee are Odessa Kelly, who is running for a congressional seat in Tennessee; and Brittany Ramos DeBarros, who is running for a congressional seat in New York.
