Candidate profile: Paul Berry in Missouri’s 1st District

The MO-1 race

Nine candidates are running for the U.S. House in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026.

The field includes four Democrats, three Republicans, one Libertarian and one independent candidate. Wesley Bell is the incumbent, meaning he currently holds the seat. Paul Berry is one of the three Republican candidates in the race.

This is a contested election, giving voters multiple candidates to consider for the same congressional seat. The candidates’ party labels and Bell’s status as the incumbent are the main distinctions established in the race so far.

Candidates in the general election

Each of the following candidates is running for the U.S. House seat representing Missouri’s 1st District:

• Andrew Jones — Republican. Jones is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Alissa Marie Murphy — Democrat. Murphy is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Xavier Phillips — Independent. Phillips is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Tom Schmitz — Libertarian. Schmitz is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Wesley Bell — Democrat. Bell is the incumbent and a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• A J White — Republican. White is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Paul Berry — Republican. Berry is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Cori Bush — Democrat. Bush is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.
• Carl E. Harris — Democrat. Harris is a candidate in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election for Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

How the field is organized

The Republican candidates are Andrew Jones, A J White and Paul Berry. The Democratic candidates are Alissa Marie Murphy, Wesley Bell, Cori Bush and Carl E. Harris. Xavier Phillips is running as an independent, while Tom Schmitz is the Libertarian candidate.

All nine candidates are competing in the same U.S. House race. Their party designations identify how they are running, while Bell’s incumbent designation identifies him as the candidate who currently holds the office.

For Berry, that means he shares the Republican label with Jones and White. Murphy, Bell, Bush and Harris share the Democratic label. Phillips and Schmitz each have a different designation from the major-party candidates and from one another.

What voters should watch

Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026. Before then, voters can watch for any changes to the candidate field and for formal statements from the campaigns about their priorities for Missouri’s 1st District.

The race includes an incumbent and eight other candidates, making the final candidate lineup an important part of the election process. Voters can also watch for future campaign finance filings and other official election records as the general election approaches.

The central ballot choice remains the same: nine candidates are running for one U.S. House seat representing Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.