St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell won the Democratic nomination for the 1st Congressional District in a race that became the second-most expensive House battle in history.
Bell spoke at the Marriott Hotel in downtown St. Louis after he was declared the projected winner, Bell said.
With bells ringing throughout the ballroom, Bell said, “I believe that running a positive message is the way to win. Running a campaign on the issues is what I do.
“We have to pay attention to the political discourse and pay attention to what we say and how we say it.”
Bell has stated he plans to “work across the aisle,” to bridge the community with law enforcement.
Speaking on his accomplishments, Bell said he expanded diversion programs for mental health and substance abuse and created a conviction incident review office unit to review wrongful allegations.
Bell ended his speech by saying, “At the end of the day we need to move this region forward and we gone do it together, y’all.”
Bell made history in 2018 when he became the first African American to serve as the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney unseating 28-year incumbent Bob McCulloch.
Bell is immediately a heavy favorite over Republican Andrew Jones.
Bell has stated he plans to “work across the aisle,” to bridge the community with law enforcement.
The prosecutor told Missourinet that Missourians need more people in Washington D.C. and Jefferson City who are willing to work together, adding that compromise shouldn’t be “a dirty word.”
Bell said that Cori Bush does not own the District One seat, her constituents do. Bush was very outspoken on her opinions about the war in Gaza calling the Israeli Prime Minister a “war criminal”, however, in that same interview Bell said that Bush’s comments were uninformed and dangerous.
Records show that Missouri’s First Congressional seat, representing the St. Louis region, is home to a large Jewish population.
Supporters at the watch party Johnny King and Adrianne King are in agreement with how Bell plans to improve the 1st Congressional District. “He did a major reform in Ferguson,” said Johnny King. Johnny King believes Bell having a seat in Washington D.C. can help St. Louis lower crime rates and implement policies to help those with mental illness. Adriane King feels that Bell is more present with the community, he will take this position seriously not just be on TV. Johnny King said once Bell is elected to that seat he will have more access to better resources to help those he will serve in his district.
Terry Lee Watkins Jr. said that Bell’s platform represents a lot of what this district is and needs. Watkins said that the 1st Congressional District believes in progressive values but also has a very specific way in how the district approaches policies. “When I look at Wesley Bell I see someone who is trying to address the issues of gun violence, women’s right to choose,” said Watkins. Watkins feels that Bell is more concerned about his district than making headlines.
“When you look into the layers of what’s being done in St. Louis he’s delivering for St. Louis and I know he’ll do that when he gets into office,” said a Bell supporter. When talking about Cori Bush’s record, the Wesley Bell supporter said that during her time in office, she has missed over 180 important votes, Bush has voted against party platforms nearly 10 percent of the time and, lastly, he said that her stance on the infrastructure bill raises eyebrows.
Bush and Bell both are activists out of the Ferguson Uprising where they honed their leadership skills during the unrest in the North County suburb after Michael Brown’s death at the hands of a police officer in 2014. Friday marks the 10th anniversary of Brown’s death.
Ferguson Mayor Ella Jones said, “Bell has always been the type of person who cares for others.”
“He’ll take care of our most vulnerable communities,” she added. If elected to the seat Jones hopes Bell will have the chance to fix the infrastructure in St. Louis City and county.
Dr. Kendra Holmes CEO and President of Affinia Healthcare during her speech at the watch party said, “I just want you all to look around this room and see the diversity and the power of the diversity and how strong we are when we work together,”
“And the voters have made their voices heard,” she added.
Ashley Winters is a Report for America reporter for the St. Louis American.