Race · November 3, 2026

U.S. House · Missouri's 1st District

3 candidates on the ballot.1

§1Candidates

Why this matters: Every candidate the state lists for this race on the November ballot, in the state's own order.

Paul Berry III
Republican · Challenger
Wesley Bell
Democratic · Incumbent
Currently represents Missouri's 1st District in the U.S. House.
Tom Schmitz
Libertarian · Challenger

§2Side by side

Why this matters: The same facts for every candidate, in the same order. Where we found nothing for a candidate, the cell says so — that means we didn't find it in public sources, not that it doesn't exist.

Scroll sideways on small screens. Select a name for the full page.
Paul Berry IIIWesley BellTom Schmitz
Party on the ballotRepublican1Democratic1Libertarian1
StatusChallengerIncumbent2Challenger
RaisedNot found in the public sources we checked$4,024,636 through October 14, 20263Not found in the public sources we checked
Cash on handNot found in the public sources we checked$407,0013Not found in the public sources we checked
Outside spendingNot found in the public sources we checked$986,770 for · $48,263 against4Not found in the public sources we checked
Abortion lawNot found in the public sources we checkedHis campaign website says whether to have an abortion is a decision for a woman and her doctor rather than government officials, and that as a prosecutor he pledged not to prosecute people who seek or provide abortions.5His campaign website says he believes free-market medical technology could make abortion obsolete by allowing a fetus to be moved at any point after conception to another woman's womb or an artificial womb and placed for adoption, and that a free society offers the best chance of reducing abortions. Its home page says Libertarians want as little government force as possible, ideally none, on this issue.6,7
Foreign aidNot found in the public sources we checkedHis campaign website criticizes President Trump for cutting foreign aid that it says was saving lives and preventing disease.5
Cut foreign aid further or end most of it
His campaign website says all foreign aid should be ended across the board.6,7
Red flag lawsNot found in the public sources we checked
Adopt more red flag laws, including a national one
His campaign website lists red flag laws among the gun reforms he is fighting for.5		His campaign website says expansion of red flag laws should be resisted, warning that they could lead to the government disarming people without due process.6

Issues only one candidate has addressed

By candidate, in ballot order. We found nothing public from the other candidates in this race on these issues.

Wesley Bell — 12 issues
  • Who sets abortion law
    A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
    His campaign website says he supports putting abortion rights into federal law so that people in every state can get care.5
  • Discrimination protections for sexual orientation and gender identity
    His campaign website says LGBTQ+ people, including transgender people, should be able to live, work and attend school without being subjected to discrimination or harm, and that he helped introduce federal legislation for a Transgender Bill of Rights.5
  • Voting Rights Act protections
    Restore and widen protections by law, such as federal approval of voting changes in places with a history of discrimination (for example, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act)
    His campaign website says he strongly backs enacting the John Lewis Voting Rights Act to counter voter suppression and protect every eligible voter's access to the ballot.5
  • Cash bail and pretrial release
    His campaign website says that in Congress he has introduced reforms to the pretrial detention system.5
  • Air pollution limits
    His campaign website says he has worked to protect clean air and water standards and to hold polluters accountable.5
  • Food assistance (SNAP)
    His campaign website says he has opposed Republican budget cuts to food assistance programs.5
  • AR-15-style rifles
    His campaign website lists keeping what it calls weapons of war off the streets among the gun reforms he is fighting for.5
  • Background checks for gun sales
    Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
    His campaign website lists universal background checks among the gun reforms he is fighting for.5
  • ACA premium tax credits
    His campaign website says he has fought to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expired, saying their expiration raised premiums for families in the district.5
  • Federal Medicaid funding
    Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
    His campaign website says he voted against the Medicaid cuts in what it calls Trump's One Big Ugly Bill, which it says reduced Medicaid by $800 billion, and that he has been calling for those cuts to be reversed.5
  • Immigration enforcement inside the country
    Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies
    His campaign website says ICE should be dismantled and agents who broke the law prosecuted, and that he has repeatedly voted to defund ICE and introduced a bill to bar the agency from using taxpayer money on recruitment ads.5,8
  • Federal disaster aid (FEMA)
    His campaign website says that after the 2025 tornadoes in the St. Louis area he pressed for a federal disaster declaration and for housing assistance, health care and rebuilding support for affected families.5
Tom Schmitz — 15 issues
  • Marijuana laws
    His campaign website says the drug war should end and that substances now controlled by law should be legalized and regulated the same way as alcohol.6,7
  • Qualified immunity for police
    End qualified immunity for police officers
    His campaign website says he supports ending qualified immunity so that individual police officers who violate others' rights can be sued in civil court.6
  • Tariffs
    His campaign website lists what it calls protectionist tariffs among the policies it says both major parties support, and says Libertarians want a foreign policy of free trade.7
  • Union organizing rules
    His campaign website says unions have the right to organize, bargain collectively and strike, and should be free to form without government interference.6
  • Vouchers and education savings accounts
    His campaign website says education should be fully privatized and moved to a free-market system, with parents responsible for managing and paying for a child's schooling and families free to choose their school.6,7
  • Nuclear power
    His campaign website says the government should end its restrictions on developing and generating nuclear power, which it describes as a source of electricity with almost no carbon emissions that can help address climate change.6,7
  • Iran's nuclear program and sanctions
    His campaign website opposes the war with Iran, saying it should end as soon as possible, and says the way to prevent Iran from eventually obtaining a nuclear weapon is diplomacy and peaceful negotiation.6
  • Military force against drug cartels
    His campaign website opposes the U.S. military's attacks on boats in the Caribbean that are alleged to carry drugs, saying they violate due process and the presumption of innocence.6
  • Military spending
    His campaign website says military spending is out of control and criticizes spending over $1 trillion on national defense. Its home page says Libertarians want all troops brought home and an efficient, defensive military stationed in the United States.6,7
  • Health insurance system
    His campaign website says healthcare should be separated from government and run as a free-market system, with patients free to choose their own medications and treatments without government interference. It says free-market competition is the answer for people with pre-existing conditions who lack insurance.6,7
  • Legal immigration levels
    His campaign website says that, in a society with no compulsory taxes or government welfare, immigrants would be able to cross borders as freely as possible, and that this is the system he ultimately advocates. Its home page says Libertarians want as little government force as possible, ideally none, on immigration and other contested issues.6,7
  • Social Security benefit levels
    His campaign website says people should be able to opt out of Social Security, that the program should be phased out, and that retirement should move toward full privatization.6,7
  • Federal income tax rates
    His campaign website calls for a system of voluntary taxation and says Libertarians regard taxation as theft, and it lists the income tax among the taxes it says both major parties impose.6,7
  • Federal spending levels
    Cut overall federal spending
    His campaign website says Libertarians want to reduce the size and scope of government dramatically and immediately, and it criticizes a federal budget it estimates at $7.4 trillion for 2026.7
  • Rules for artificial intelligence
    His campaign website says he believes artificial intelligence will very soon pose a substantial risk of harm, possibly on a catastrophic scale, and that addressing that risk is one of the few things the federal government should do.6

Issue statements are drafted by AI from the public sources cited, and only cover what each candidate has said publicly.