St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell won the 2024 election for Missouri’s 1st congressional District on Tuesday after handily defeating Republican Andrew Jones.
The Associated Press called the race for Bell at 9:19 p.m. Bell received 75.9% to Jones’s 18.4% as of 3:02 a.m., with polls closing at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Libertarian candidate Rochelle Riggins received 3.3%, Green Party candidate Don Fitz received 1.7%, and Better Party candidate Blake Ashby received 0.7%.
Bell made national headlines in August after he ousted Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), one of two “Squad” Democrats who lost their primary elections this cycle. Similar to Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) Democratic opponent, Bell was largely backed by pro-Israel groups that targeted Bush for her views about the war in Gaza.
Bowman’s and Bush’s ousters sent shock waves through House Democrats as the party grappled with the backlash from a lack of ironclad support behind the Jewish state.
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The Missouri congresswoman also faced pushback from her constituents over her stances on public safety and decriminalization of drugs, as well as her voting record in Congress and a Justice Department investigation into her paying her husband as her security detail. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Bell’s win helps keep a blue stronghold in Democratic hands, as the party seeks to flip the House majority. The battle for the House will likely not be known for days, particularly as a majority of the 22 toss-up races remain too close to call.
