ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Tuesday night was a good night for St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell as he won his House race with relative ease to represent Missouri 1st Congressional District in Congress, defeating Andrew Jones Jr.
Bell, who defeated incumbent Cori Bush in the August primary, was widely expected to win the seat in Missouri 1st Congressional District in November. The seat has been held by Bush since 2021.
The 1st Congressional District, which includes all of the City of St. Louis and North St. Louis County, along with pieces of the central corridor such as Clayton and Webster Groves, has been very Democratic heavy, with the last Republican to hold the seat was Samuel W. Arnold from 1943-1949.
Bell joined Chris Rongey and Amy Marxkors on 'The Chris and Amy Show' Wednesday to discuss his victory.
"It was sweet, with a little bit of bitterness in there," said Bell on 'The Chris and Amy Show' Wednesday. "From the big picture standpoint, with our race, we knew what was going to happen, so we were very much in a celebratory mood, with friends, families and supporters and things of that nature."
Bell tells KMOX he's not worried about being swayed by the allure of far-left politics as he heads to Washington D.C. as he replaces Bush, who was a member of 'The Squad' in the House.
"For me, I'm going to do what I've always done and focus on the work," said Bell. "I'm going to put my head down, roll my sleeves up, and work for the voters and constituents in this region."
When Bell does take office, it will leave a massive hole in the St. Louis Prosecuting Attorney's Office. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page has already begun Wednesday to accept applications and the candidate will serve the remaining two years of Bell's term.
Bell previously told KMOX back in August 2024 that his successor should be someone who is a part of his leadership team.
"From the day I've walked into this office as St. Louis County Prosecutor, I started preparing my leadership team as well as the newest attorney to step into leadership roles," said Bell. "There are several folks who are on my leadership team that I think and I know will do a very good job."
Applications will be accepted through Nov. 15. Following Nov. 15, a committee will then screen applicants, and with finalists will get interviewed by Page. The candidate will go before St. Louis County for confirmation once Page makes his selection of who will Bell's successor.
