St. Louis-based prosecutor Wesley Bell won Missouri’s race for the 1st Congressional District seat on the Democratic ticket, Fox 2 Now reported.
Bell defeated Republican Andrew Jones in a heavily Democratic district, pushing a continuous trail of victory after defeating incumbent Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) for the party’s nomination. Bell told supporters that he is “humbled” by the results. “Today, the people of the St. Louis region voted for a brighter future and greater opportunity. During my campaign, I promised to serve the First District with integrity, transparency, and accountability. I recommit myself to that promise tonight, and pledge to always remember who sent me to Congress to fight for them — the people of this region,” Bell said.
“I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of representing our region in Washington. We must build an economy that works for everyone, protect our rights and freedoms, and make sure that America remains on the forward journey towards building a more perfect union. I’m ready to get to work.”
Bell rose to prominence after originally planning to run for Sen. Josh Hawley’s Senate seat, prompting a showdown with Lucas Kunce, but he instead opted to challenge Bush. His name started to float through the political realm following the backlash of the 2014 Ferguson protests as a result of the shooting death of Michael Brown. He then ran for Ferguson City Council in 2015 and successfully challenged Bob McCulloch — seven-term incumbent in the Democratic party — for the role as chief prosecutor in St. Louis County in 2018.
Shortly after, he shocked the state’s political world by beating out McCulloch over a referendum regarding the handling of the Michael Brown shooting and aftermath.
According to The Hill, Bell was sought out to take over Bush’s seat as the member of the progressive group of lawmakers known as the “squad” received aggressive pushback over her criticism of Israel during the uprising of the country’s war with Hamas. The prosecutor expressed support of Israel, while pro-groups like AIPAC spent millions to support him, although he was running as a progressive.
Bush, along with New York’s Jamaal Bowman, was one of two “squad” members to lose their seats, however, Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN) and Rashida Tlaib (MI) won their reelection bids, becoming the first Muslim women to serve in the U.S. Congress. Bell’s district covers all of St. Louis City and a number of cities surrounding the area including Ferguson, Maryland Heights, Jennings, and University City. With the prosecutor’s victory, Democrats will carry on a continuous legacy of controlling Missouri District 1, which has been held for close to 75 years. There have only been two GOP lawmakers who have held the seat since the beginning of the 20th century, Frank C. Millspaugh and Samuel W. Arnold.
RELATED CONTENT: Opinion: Trump Won Despite Running A Divisive Campaign–Here’s How
