Frederick Wellman

Wellman grew up in Kirkwood, Missouri, and graduated from Kirkwood High School.[3] He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1987 and later earned a master's degree from Harvard's Kennedy School (2007).[3] Ballotpedia lists his Army service as 1987 to 2010, as a helicopter pilot and officer with multiple deployments to Iraq; he earned his Ranger tab and describes himself as a third-generation military veteran.[3] In announcing his campaign, Wellman said he spent 22 years in the Army.[6]

After retiring from the Army, Wellman founded ScoutComms, a firm that he says invested in veterans and military families, and worked as an advocate and consultant.[3] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he helped lead a team of Special Operations medical veterans that built and ran a field hospital in New York City.[3] He later served as Senior Advisor and Executive Director of the Lincoln Project and hosts the "On Democracy" podcast on the MeidasTouch network.[3][7] Wellman lives in Wildwood, according to his Ballotpedia survey.[3] On August 4, 2026, he won the Democratic primary for Missouri's 2nd District with 45.8% of the vote, ahead of Joan VonDras (43.0%) and Timothy Bilash (11.1%).[3] During the campaign, he emphasized affordability, healthcare and retirement security.[2][3] He won the November 3, 2026 general election with 51.1% of the vote to Ann Wagner's 46.2%, according to unofficial results reported by NBC News.[1]