Members of Missouri’s Jewish community are working to turn out voters in Rep. Wesley Bell’s (D-MO) St. Louis-area congressional district as he faces down a rematch with former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) on Tuesday.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America has rallied its national membership, particularly in Bell’s district and the broader Midwest region, for an in-person canvassing effort as well as several phone-banking events.

“We are mobilizing our network across the Midwest to help get out the vote for Wesley Bell,” Jacob Spiegel, JDCA’s communications director, told Jewish Insider. “We’re continuing to mobilize our awesome network of volunteers to get out the vote for the candidates that represent our values.” The race is one of two that JDCA is currently prioritizing in its voter outreach efforts, alongside Rep. Haley Stevens’ (D-MI) Senate campaign in Michigan.

Bush was among the most vocally anti-Israel members of Congress while she was in office, and faced accusations of antisemitism. Bell has been a staunch supporter of the Jewish community and remained supportive of Israel even amid backlash at home, including voting against an amendment to cut military aid to the Jewish state.

Agudath Israel of America’s Missouri office has brought together local Orthodox rabbis in a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote campaign that does not specifically back Bell — though members of the community who vote in the Democratic primary are very likely to support him.

Agudath Israel’s campaign has the support of all of the Orthodox rabbis in the district, who have filmed videos to encourage voter participation. One video, which features all of the local rabbis together, emphasizes the stakes of the election for the Jewish community both in the United States and in Israel.

Suri Botuck, the director of government affairs for Agudath Israel of Missouri, said that it took some time for the community to realize who was running in the election, but that the campaign has been in action for months, with a volunteer team with members of all of the Orthodox synagogues serving as ambassadors and experts for their congregations.

She said that as early as April, the community was working on voter registration efforts, and is now focused on early and absentee voting to ensure that voters cast their ballots, particularly if they have travel plans following Tisha B’Av, which took place last week.

The rabbis, she continued, are also making sure to get the word out at prayer services to emphasize the importance and responsibility of voting. “We are very grateful to them for their partnership.  They also appreciate the importance of getting out the vote,” Botuck said.

A social media campaign has also organically developed, with community members sharing selfies on WhatsApp when they go to the polls. Organizers have been sharing those photos over email, and are aiming to distribute fliers featuring those selfies to synagogues before Shabbat.

“It’s a great way that the community has all been engaged and participating, by having a little bit of fun,” she said.

Though Agudath Israel, as a nonprofit organization, is not endorsing candidates and is fully focused on voter turnout, Botuck said that other organizations and individuals are active in voter education efforts, including in a local Jewish political WhatsApp chat.

Botuck said that organizers have heard from community members that almost 20% of them have already voted, and will be scouring the board of elections data set to be released on Friday to make sure to contact those who haven’t yet voted before primary day.

She noted that early vote turnout was much higher among the Orthodox Jewish community in the 2024 primary than in the district at large.

“We’re a community that takes voting seriously. People know they have to vote, people get out to vote. They might need reminders, but it’s part of our culture,” she said. “We are voting and people just might need to know the information and the details of where, what and when.”

AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC has also continued to spend big to boost Bell and attack Bush, with ad spending now totaling $3.1 million, going after Bush as ineffective and disloyal to the Democratic Party.

A week out from the primary, Bush hasn’t seen comparable spending, either by her own campaign or by outside groups to back her up, leaving Bell’s message dominant on the ground. Braxton Payne, a local Democratic strategist, said that Bell seems to have the momentum at this point.

Jordan Blase, Bell’s campaign manager, noted to JI that the campaign has been on television with ads for weeks, in addition to the outside spending.

Blase said that the campaign has seen significant support from the Jewish community, similar to the previous cycle, where Jewish volunteers proved to be a significant force for the campaign.

Blase said that the campaign feels strong about its position going into the final days of the race, but is working strongly on field and get-out-the-vote operations.

She argued that the race is different from other districts where socialist candidates have dominated because — unlike those largely unknown candidates — Bush is well-known in the district and has a well-established record. “The district fired her for a reason,” Blase said.

She emphasized Bush’s record of missing votes, voting against Democratic priorities and condemning former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election, which Blase asserted is hurting Bush in the district.

Bush did not respond to a request for comment.