Tishaura Jones was elected mayor of St. Louis this Tuesday, making her the first black woman to hold that position.
Tuesday evening’s results showed Jones, the city’s current treasurer, beating his opponent Alderman Cara Spencer by a margin of 52-48.
Both Jones and Spencer had campaigned as advocates for social justice that would implement criminal justice reform.
St. Louis and nearby Ferguson were focal points of civil rights protests after the police assassination of Michael Brown in 2014, when the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum.
Jones entered the race with an existing base of support for a failed 2017 mayoral campaign and voluntary offers for treasurer and links to a number of city officials, including the St. Louis County executive. Louis Sam Page, who supported her. She was considered an avant-garde after reaching first place in the March 2 primaries.
Tuesday’s race marked the second phase of St. Louis’ partyless voting system. Louis. A March 2 primary was held in which voters could vote for as many contenders as they wished, while the second phase on April 6 was designated only for those who garnered the broadest support.
Jones recently won her position as treasurer in 2020 and will be sworn in as mayor on April 20th.