U.S. House, Missouri 1st Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Missouri's 1st Congressional District?
Wesley Bell has the strongest record in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Wesley Bell scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Wesley Bell's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Paul Berry III (3 of 15 criteria) and Tom Schmitz (2 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Wesley Bell
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 50
Republican
Paul Berry III
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 3 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Libertarian
Tom Schmitz
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 2 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Wesley Bell
- Unresolved2026-07-09
Five attendees of his August 2025 town hall sued Bell and seven security personnel in state court in St. Louis alleging battery, assault and negligence; his campaign called the suit frivolous. Pending.
Where it stands: Filed July 2026 in state court; no ruling found as of 2026-10-06.
Sources: STLPR, July 9, 2026, St. Louis Magazine
- On the record2025-01-24
St. Louis County agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a 2020 lawsuit by a former assistant prosecutor alleging gender, age and race discrimination and retaliation by Bell; the settlement includes no court finding.
- On the record2025-08
A State Auditor review of the county prosecutor's office during his 2019 to 2024 tenure, requested by the county council, found no significant improper activity and recommended timekeeping, purchasing and Sunshine Law improvements.
Sources: Missouri State Auditor investigative summary, STLPR, Aug. 5, 2025
- On the record2020-07-30
As St. Louis County prosecuting attorney, announced after a five-month review that his office would not charge former Ferguson officer Darren Wilson in the 2014 killing of Michael Brown.
Source: STLPR, July 30, 2020
Paul Berry III
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Tom Schmitz
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Wesley Bell. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 filed with the House Clerk on May 15, 2026; the Clerk index lists no periodic transaction reports for him. No House Ethics Committee matter or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10077038, House Committee on Ethics site search, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00842336
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Wesley Bell. Voted against Democratic Leader Jeffries on the 2025 DETERRENT Act and the 2025 Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act (Yea), and on a 2026 FISA authorities extension (Nay).
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 83, 2025, DETERRENT Act, House Clerk Roll Call 130, 2025, House Clerk Roll Call 155, 2026, FISA extension
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Wesley Bell. Held his first in-person town hall in August 2025 before about 300 people, and met primary opponent Cori Bush in a joint radio appearance on STLPR in July 2026. No 2026 general election debate record found.
Sources: STLPR, Aug. 20, 2025, STLPR, July 24, 2026
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Wesley Bell. Served on the Ferguson City Council from 2015, as St. Louis County prosecuting attorney from 2019 to 2024, and in Congress since 2025. No censure, reprimand or conduct finding found.
Sources: House office biography, Missouri State Auditor investigative summary, House Committee on Ethics site search
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Wesley Bell. Has held sworn office as a Ferguson council member, county prosecuting attorney and, since Jan. 3, 2025, U.S. representative; took his House seat after the January 2021 electoral count. No misuse-of-office finding found.
Sources: GovTrack, Missouri State Auditor investigative summary
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Wesley Bell. In his first U.S. House term; previously St. Louis County prosecuting attorney for six years, a Ferguson City Council member, municipal judge and prosecutor, and a public defender.
Sources: GovTrack, House office biography, Ballotpedia
Paul Berry III. A bail bondsman and business consultant; has not held public office.
Source: STLPR, Aug. 30, 2020
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Wesley Bell. Serves on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Oversight and Government Reform committees, including the Oversight subcommittee on federal law enforcement. No chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Paul Berry III. Campaign site states general priorities, chiefly opposing socialist officeholders and supporting a statewide ballot measure; no detailed plans.
Source: Campaign site
Tom Schmitz. Campaign site states positions in general terms on federal spending, taxation, currency, foreign policy, health care, education and Social Security.
Source: Campaign site
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Wesley Bell. Offers an e-newsletter, held an in-person town hall in 2025 and a joint radio appearance with his primary opponent in 2026. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Sources: House office site, STLPR, Aug. 20, 2025, STLPR, July 24, 2026, Ballotpedia
Paul Berry III. Publishes his message on a campaign site and discussed issues in a 2020 public radio interview. No completed 2026 questionnaire found.
Sources: Campaign site, STLPR, Aug. 30, 2020
Tom Schmitz. Publishes plain-language issue statements on his campaign site. No completed questionnaire found.
Source: Campaign site
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Wesley Bell. Born and raised in North St. Louis County and held local office in Ferguson and countywide. FEC by-state totals show about 18 percent of itemized individual contributions from Missouri.
Sources: House office biography, FEC contribution totals by state
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Wesley Bell. Led the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which had 133 full-time employees at the end of his term. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through July 15, 2026, with no administrative fine.
Sources: Missouri State Auditor investigative summary, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00842336
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Wesley Bell. No public record found.
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Wesley Bell. Missed 19 of 676 roll call votes, 2.8 percent, from January 2025 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Wesley Bell. Lists a St. Louis district office and offers help with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: House office site, House office biography
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Wesley Bell. No public record found.
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Wesley Bell. A 2025 State Auditor review of the county prosecutor's office during his tenure found no improper purchases on his office card and no significant improper activity, with recommendations on timekeeping, purchasing and Sunshine Law response times.
Paul Berry III. No public record found.
Tom Schmitz. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 6, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Missouri's 1st Congressional District?
Wesley Bell has the strongest record in Missouri's 1st Congressional District. Wesley Bell scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 6, 2026. Wesley Bell's highest marks are courage and relevant experience. Paul Berry III (3 of 15 criteria) and Tom Schmitz (2 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Missouri's 1st Congressional District in 2026?
Wesley Bell (Democratic, incumbent), Paul Berry III (Republican), Tom Schmitz (Libertarian). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Wesley Bell a good candidate for Congress?
Wesley Bell scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 50 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Paul Berry III a good candidate for Congress?
Paul Berry III has public evidence on 3 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Tom Schmitz a good candidate for Congress?
Tom Schmitz has public evidence on 2 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Missouri race scored, and the Missouri 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.