Candidate · November 3, 2026
Wesley Bell
On the ballot for U.S. House · Missouri's 1st District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $4.0M
- cash on hand
- $407K
- issues with public statements
- 15
- outside spending for or against
- $1.0M
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · Missouri's 1st District1 |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic1 |
| Status | Incumbent — Currently represents Missouri's 1st District in the U.S. House.2 |
| Also on the ballot |
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§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Wesley Bell attended college at Lindenwood University and earned a law degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.3,
Why they say they're running
His campaign website says he is running for reelection to keep working for his constituents, and lists health care and prescription drug access, energy and grocery prices, protecting rights and freedoms, jobs in St. Louis and holding the Trump administration accountable among his goals.3
Service in Congress since 2023
- 2025–nowU.S. Representative, MO-12
Websites and accounts
- Official websitebell.house.gov2
- X (Twitter)x.com/RepWesleyBellMO5
- Facebookfacebook.com/615715382399045
- Campaign websitebell4mo.com6,
7 - Facebookfacebook.com/bell4mo7
- X (Twitter)twitter.com/bell4mo7
- Instagraminstagram.com/bell4mo7
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Infrastructure and Transportation
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.8
Family and Social Policy
His campaign website says he has opposed Republican budget cuts to food assistance programs.8
Immigration
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.3,
- Abolish ICE and move any remaining enforcement work to other agencies
- Deport only people convicted of serious crimes or who threaten national security
- Focus on people with criminal records and recent border crossers
- Deport as many people here without legal permission as possible, with or without criminal records
Health Care
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.8
- Reduce federal Medicaid spending further, such as by giving states fixed yearly amounts (block grants or per-person limits)
- Keep the funding rules set by the 2025 law
- Reverse the 2025 changes or increase federal funding
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.8
Courts, Rights and Civil Liberties
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.8
- 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)
- Keep current law, as the Supreme Court read it in 2026, without the federal approval requirement
- Stop applying the law to how district maps are drawn
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.8
Foreign Policy and Defense
His campaign website criticizes President Trump for cutting foreign aid that it says was saving lives and preventing disease.8
Abortion and Reproductive Health
His 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.8
His campaign website says he supports putting abortion rights into federal law so that people in every state can get care.8
- A national law making abortion legal in every state, at least until viability, as under Roe v. Wade
- Leave abortion law to each state
- A national law limiting abortion (for example, after 15 weeks of pregnancy)
Crime, Policing and Prisons
His campaign website says that in Congress he has introduced reforms to the pretrial detention system.8
Guns
His campaign website lists universal background checks among the gun reforms he is fighting for.8
- Require checks for all gun sales, including private sales (with exceptions such as gifts between family members)
- Require checks for private sales at gun shows and online, but not other private sales
- Keep current law, with checks required only for sales by licensed dealers
His campaign website lists red flag laws among the gun reforms he is fighting for.8
- Adopt more red flag laws, including a national one
- Leave the choice to each state
- Repeal existing red flag laws and adopt no new ones
His campaign website lists keeping what it calls weapons of war off the streets among the gun reforms he is fighting for.8
Environment and Public Lands
His campaign website says he has worked to protect clean air and water standards and to hold polluters accountable.8
§4Popular bills that never got a vote
Why this matters: Many bills with wide support from both parties never reach a vote, so no member of Congress is ever on record for or against them. Signing on as a sponsor or cosponsor is the only public record of support.
While Wesley Bell served, these bills had broad support from both parties but never reached a floor vote. No officeholder ever had to vote on them. Wesley Bell sponsored or cosponsored 19 of the 26. How bills die without a vote.
See all 26
- Lets combat-disabled veterans get full military retirement pay plus disability pay (H.R. 2102, 119th Congress · 340 cosponsors)9Cosponsored
- Sets electronic prior-approval and reporting rules for Medicare Advantage plans (H.R. 3514, 119th Congress · 308 cosponsors)10Cosponsored
- Extends the parks maintenance fund and adds higher park fees for foreign visitors (H.R. 9250, 119th Congress · 263 cosponsors)11Cosponsored
- Expands Medicare telehealth coverage by removing location limits and other restrictions (H.R. 4206, 119th Congress · 248 cosponsors)12Cosponsored
- Bans slaughtering horses and other equines for human food (H.R. 1661, 119th Congress · 238 cosponsors)13Cosponsored
- Targets crimes against postal workers; authorizes money for more secure mailboxes and keys (H.R. 1065, 119th Congress · 231 cosponsors)14Cosponsored
- Adds Medicare coverage of blood tests to screen for early Alzheimer's disease (H.R. 6130, 119th Congress · 231 cosponsors)15Cosponsored
- Requires health plans to cover birth defect care for the eyes, ears, teeth, mouth or jaw (H.R. 3277, 119th Congress · 214 cosponsors)16Cosponsored
- Keeps paying military members and support staff during a shutdown in fiscal 2026 (H.R. 5401, 119th Congress · 210 cosponsors)17Cosponsored
- Raises Medicare physician fee schedule payments by 6.62% for April through December 2025 (H.R. 879, 119th Congress · 198 cosponsors)18Cosponsored
- Lets surviving military and veteran spouses keep benefits after remarrying (H.R. 1004, 119th Congress · 183 cosponsors)19Cosponsored
- Raises the tax credit for maintaining short line railroad track (H.R. 516, 119th Congress · 183 cosponsors)20Cosponsored
- Expands U.S.-Israel military cooperation on counter-drone and emerging technology (H.R. 1229, 119th Congress · 178 cosponsors)21Cosponsored
- Authorizes CIA payments to former Air America employees and survivors for 1950-1976 work (H.R. 2192, 119th Congress · 178 cosponsors)22Cosponsored
- Expands Medicare coverage to all services chiropractors are licensed to provide (H.R. 539, 119th Congress · 174 cosponsors)23Cosponsored
- Counts recovery from organ donation surgery as a serious health condition for family leave (H.R. 4582, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)24Cosponsored
- Bars insurers from discriminating against living organ donors (H.R. 4583, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)25Cosponsored
- Doubles the amount of profit from selling a primary home that is exempt from tax (H.R. 1340, 119th Congress · 159 cosponsors)26Cosponsored
- Funds research on firefighter protective gear made without PFAS chemicals (H.R. 3184, 119th Congress · 150 cosponsors)27Cosponsored
- Ends disability benefit and Medicare waiting periods for metastatic breast cancer (H.R. 2048, 119th Congress · 271 cosponsors)28Did not cosponsor
- Requires employer health plans to offer exceptions to step therapy drug rules (H.R. 5509, 119th Congress · 169 cosponsors)29Did not cosponsor
- Expands and revises the low-income housing tax credit for affordable rentals (H.R. 2725, 119th Congress · 168 cosponsors)30Did not cosponsor
- Requires nursing homes and similar facilities to let essential caregivers see residents (H.R. 6766, 119th Congress · 160 cosponsors)31Did not cosponsor
- Requires VA clinicians to certify a veteran's death within 48 hours (H.R. 4398, 119th Congress · 158 cosponsors)32Did not cosponsor
- No-down-payment, federally insured mortgages for first responders and teachers (H.R. 2094, 119th Congress · 154 cosponsors)33Did not cosponsor
- Bans betting on animal fights and allows private lawsuits over animal fighting (H.R. 3946, 119th Congress · 150 cosponsors)34Did not cosponsor
§5Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.35
| Raised | $4,024,636 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $4,051,556 |
| Cash on hand | $407,001 |
Where the money came from
Outside spending
Groups spending independently reported $986,770 supporting and $48,263 opposing Wesley Bell this cycle, primary and general combined, in the 24- and 48-hour reports the law requires for larger expenditures, filed through August 21, 2026.36
| Group | Supporting | Opposing |
|---|---|---|
| UNITED DEMOCRACY PROJECT (UDP) | $685,626 | — |
| Project 218 | $250,000 | — |
| National Association of Realtors Political Action Committee | $51,144 | — |
| Working Families Party PAC | — | $27,360 |
| INSTITUTE FOR MIDDLE EAST UNDERSTANDING POLICY PROJECT | — | $20,903 |
Smaller expenditures that appear only on a group's regular monthly or quarterly report aren't in these totals, so the full amounts can be somewhat higher. When a group amends a report, only its latest version is counted.
§6Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Annual financial disclosure report37filed May 15, 2026
- New filer financial disclosure report38filed Aug 13, 2025
- Candidate financial disclosure report39filed Jun 21, 2024