ST. LOUIS — U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell was projected to once again defeat Cori Bush in the Democratic primary and retain his seat in Missouri's 1st Congressional District.

The Associated Press shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday called the race for Bell. The New York Times soon followed.

Shortly later, with about half of the votes counted, Bell had accumulated 66% of the tally.

In 2024, Bell unseated then-incumbent Bush with a 5.5% advantage. Bush had held the seat for two terms.

The early calls of the race caught both camps by surprise Tuesday night.

The Bell campaign held its watch party Tuesday night at the Marriott in downtown St. Louis, and several of the attendees hurriedly checked their cell phones to verify the news as talk of Bell's win ran through the room.

Phyllis Troupe, of north St. Louis County, said Bell had earned a second term. "He listened to the people, and I like his vision for St. Louis," she said.

As was true two year ago, both candidates were of like minds, particularly when it came to being "anti-Trump." They both espoused similar positions on abortion rights; alternative criminal sentencing policies; police reform; and aid for underserved communities.

But Bell slammed Bush's voting record, spending and opposition to infrastructure programs in the district; Bush claimed Bell did not serve the district's needs and criticized his financial support from pro-Israel groups.

Some political observers believed that Bush's best chance of winning was pinned to the public's shifting view on Israel and the war in Gaza, specifically a growing concern for Palestinians in the area.

Bell continued getting strong financial support from pro-Israel donors, which led Bush to again label him a political tool of the lobby. In all, Bell's campaign had picked up about $2.4 million from two pro-Israel organizations as of June 30. While substantial, it was not close to the $11 million in contributions he received in 2024.

For her part, Bush did not do much fence-mending with the local Jewish community, which she galvanized against her after the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, that killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 200 hostages. A few days after the attack, Bush called for ending U.S. government support for what she labeled an Israeli military occupation of Gaza "and apartheid.”

She continued to embrace that position just weeks ago, when she said she wanted to return to Congress "to end the apartheid, military occupation and genocide that is funded by our tax dollars."

Bell maintained his argument that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that Israel is a valuable U.S. ally in that conflict.

Bell also countered Bush's slams about Israel as a cover for her own shortcomings as a legislator. He pointed out that Bush missed more than 200 votes in the House — but was present to vote against President Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill — which included several big-ticket projects in the area.

That infrastructure vote lost Bush support from a number of industrial, construction and trade unions — support that Bell maintained during this race.

Bush also was dogged with questions about her campaign finances, including paying herself and her husband salaries from her campaign fund.

A few weeks ago, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she was investigating a nonprofit Bush formed last year that solicited tornado-relief funds. The group is not on the Internal Revenue Service's list of tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations.

When listing his first-term achievements, Bell pointed to his work after the May 2025 tornado that killed five people and caused extensive damage in north and west St. Louis. Bell introduced four bills to improve inspection and assessment service in disaster areas; upgrade alarm systems; provide more shelters; and continue disaster-relief funding during government shutdowns.

He also noted his consistent opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and his recent vote against funding it.

In overall money, as of June 30, Bell had taken in $3.3 million for this campaign, compared to $1.2 million for Bush.

As winner of the Democratic primary, Bell will be the favorite in the Nov. 3 general election. The heavily Democratic district covers St. Louis city and parts of north, central and west St. Louis County.

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