On Monday, controversial Missouri State Senator Steven Roberts will announce his Democratic primary candidacy to unseat U.S. Representative Cori Bush, a source tells the .
Roberts — the son of Steven Roberts Sr., a former alderman and co-owner of one-time St. Louis media, retail and hotel empire — was a rising political star first elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 2016. But before he was seated, his incoming colleague Cora Faith Walker accused him of sexually assaulting her and drugging her.
Prosecutors did not press charges against Roberts, saying Walker lacked evidence showing their interactions were non-consensual. Roberts filed a defamation lawsuit in response, though in May, 2019 both parties dropped their suits. Roberts was elected to the Missouri senate in 2020.
Roberts’ name has returned to the news in recent weeks, following Walker’s death on March 11. Many, including Mayor Tishaura Jones, expressed outrage on Twitter about how people treated Walker when she was alive. They seemed to be referring to St. Louis political figures who co-hosted a 2021 re-election fundraiser for Roberts.
Last week, reported suspicious editing of Roberts’ Wikipedia page, in an attempt to suppress the sexual assault allegation from Walker and one other person against him.
Roberts will likely be considered a longshot candidate against Bush, who made history in 2020 as the first Black woman to represent Missouri in the U.S. Congress. In the Democratic primary she defeated William “Lacy” Clay Jr., upending the 50-year-plus Clay family dynasty.
Four other Democrats have so far filed against Bush in this year’s primary, which will be held on August 2.
