Wesley Bell is the first African American to be elected St. Louis County’s prosecutor, and he now is vying to replace Josh Hawley as a U.S. Senator representing Missouri.
Bell, 48, announced his candidacy June 7. Hawley is a Republican, and Bell is a Democrat.
“Republicans I think generally don't have too much bad to say about Wesley Bell,” said former Alderman Mike Gras, an attorney in St. Louis. “He hasn’t had the same problems that Kim Gardner’s office has had but at the same time, anytime you're a prosecutor in a big city, you have a lot of baggage.”
Part of that baggage has to do with Bell’s reluctance to indict the former police officer, Darren Wilson, who shot and killed Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis County. Wilson is Caucasian and Brown was African-American.
“A lot of folks think Bell should have charged Darren Wilson after he got into office,” Gras told the St. Louis Record.
Brown’s death drew national attention after both peaceful and violent protests ensued.
But Bell, who was initially elected St. Louis County prosecutor in 2018, won a second term in 2022.
He is also a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Law.
"Wesley Bell is a big name and he’s somebody who currently holds office now,” Gras said in an interview. “It will be interesting to see how St. Louis County voters will react to him being on the campaign trail for the next year and less in his office as county prosecutor.”
Bell isn’t the only Democrat trying to unseat Hawley whose approval rating in 2021 was 52% compared to 46% in 2022, according to a Saint Louis UniversityYouGov poll.
Democrat Lucas Kunce tossed his hat into the 2024 U.S. Senate ring in January.
Kunce, a Marine veteran, unsuccessfully campaigned for U.S. Senate last year. He lost in the Democratic primary to Trudy Valentine.
“If he couldn't get enough votes to win the primary, it's hard to imagine he could win the general,” said Jean Evans, executive director emeritus of the Missouri Republican Party. “He still has to get through his primary and there will be other challengers.”
Kunce was recently endorsed by the Missouri labor union AFL-CIO, according to media reports.
So far, Kunce has never won an election and Bell has won twice. Both work as attornies.
Democrat voters will decide between the two on Aug. 6, 2024.