(Headline USA) A St. Louis businessman announced last week that he will challenge leftist “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., for the Democratic nomination in her upcoming re-election bid.
Andrew Jones, a business owner and father, accused Bush of contributing to rising crime in his city by advocating for the defunding of law enforcement.
He said he filed to run in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District last month after hearing from many other St. Louis residents who felt like there is “no hope.”
“I was tired of the crime and all the issues that I thought could be changed, if you had the proper leadership in play,” he told Fox News.
“You see crime escalating. It’s growing. Even though the city of St. Louis talks about … a reduction in murders, and things of that nature, but we know that those numbers are somewhat fabricated,” he continued.
St. Louis has had one of the highest homicide rates in the country for years. Between 2015 and 2020, it led the country in homicides.
Meanwhile, Bush was one of several leftist Democrats pushing to defund the police—not just in St. Louis, but nationwide.
She recently blasted President Joe Biden for rejecting the “defund the police” movement during his State of the Union address, telling Democrats to “suck it up” because “defunding the police has to happen.”
Jones said Bush’s anti-police rhetoric has emboldened criminals and discouraged police officers. He also argued her policies do not represent the feelings of the black community.
“People want the police,” he said.
“They understand that there’s no perfect system out here—there are no perfect people and certainly things can be done that will be deemed as wrong, negative, and outright criminal by individuals,” he continued. “But, overall, the police have been doing a fantastic job. We just need to get behind them and support them.”
