Guide to the St. Louis 2021 Mayoral Primary and General Elections
By Alaina Baumohl & Rohan Palacios,
Social Media Editor & Editor-in-Chief
Artwork by Nisha Mani, Staff Artist
Background on the Mayoral Race
St. Louis’ Incumbent Mayor Lyda Krewson announced her retirement in late 2020, despite being eligible to run for a second term. Krewson was elected the first female mayor of St. Louis in 2017. Despite her milestone tenure, she faced backlash this past summer for her management of Black Lives Matter protests. In response, citizens occupied city hall and protested outside of the mayor’s home demanding her resignation.
Primary candidates Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer both launched their campaigns before Krewson announced her retirement, but Krewson denies their entrance into the race impacted her decision.
Following Krewson’s announcement, Lewis Reed and Andrew Jones announced their candidacies. The little polling that exists for this race indicates that Jones and Reed are running close together at the top, with a large number of voters still undecided.
In November 2020, a ballot measure was passed that altered the St. Louis electoral process. Moving forward, all candidates in municipal elections will compete in a single nonpartisan primary, rather than a partisan primary where the two candidates who receive the most votes, move on to the general election. In the March 2nd primary, voters will also be able to vote for as many of the candidates as they would like to see move on to the general election. Krewson was opposed to this ballot measure; some speculate that it would have made it more difficult for her to survive the primary election.
Below, we break down the key differences between the candidates vying for Krewson’s empty seat by looking at campaign platforms and endorsements.
St. Louis Treasurer Tishaura Jones won 30% of the vote four years ago, finishing second in a five-way mayoral election, to current-mayor Lyda Krewson’s 32%. Before winning her current position as treasurer last year, Jones represented District 63 in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009-2013, and worked as an executive at People’s Health Centers in St. Louis. Her broadly progressive platform is the most detailed in the race. It includes support for living wage ordinances, restructuring the police budget to include funding for mental health services, and the establishment of new jobs training programs. Jones is also a vocal opponent of efforts to privatize Lambert Airport led by right-wing billionaire Rex Sinquefield.
The President of the Board of Alderman (BOA), this is Reed’s third run for mayor. In 2017, he finished third with 18% of the vote, behind Jones and Krewson. Reed originally represented the city’s sixth ward after winning his seat in 1999. Since 2007, he has served as President of the BOA, a citywide position. Reed’s platform pledges to increase the city’s population by 30,000, invest in an aggressive approach to violent crime, and expand mental health services. On the Board of Alderman, Reed is a proponent of privatizing Lambert Airport.
The alderwoman representing St. Louis’ 20th ward in South St. Louis, Spencer has been in office since 2015. In 2019, she won reelection with 70% of the vote. As an alderwoman, Spencer has led opposition to the privatization of Lambert Airport. Reducing violent crime has also been a key part of her platform. Spencer brings experience from mathematics and corporate strategy, and claims that her approach to crime will be “data-driven”, with the intent of fostering trust between the police and St. Louisans. Other items of her platform emphasize responsible development and the need for citywide plans on issues like public safety and education.
A utility executive and an alum of WashU’s Olin School of Business, Jones’ platform includes fostering business development, improving infrastructure and public safety, police reform, and education. Although the ballot will not officially include any partisan labels, Jones has run as a Republican in the past, and WashU’s College Republicans plan to phonebank for him in advance of the primary.
Notable Endorsements
- St. Louis County Executive Sam Page: Tishaura Jones
- Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Missouri: Tishaura Jones
- United Auto Workers: Tishaura Jones
- NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri PAC: Tishaura Jones
- Organization for Black Struggle: Tishaura Jones
- St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell: Tishaura Jones
- Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU): Tishaura Jones
- Young Democrats of St. Louis: Tishaura Jones
- State Reps. Rasheen Aldridge and Kimberley Ann-Collins: Tishaura Jones
- Alderwoman Annie Rice (8th Ward) and Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia (6th Ward): Tishaura Jones
- Planned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri: Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Lewis Reed and Cara Spencer
- United Food and Commercial Workers Local (UFCW) 655: Lewis Reed
Important Election Dates
- 03/02/21: Non-Partisan Primary Municipal Elections
- 03/03/21: Absentee voting begins
- 03/10/21: Last day to register for this election
- 03/24/21: Last day to request an absentee ballot
- 04/05/21: Last day to vote absentee in person
- 04/06/21: Election date
Other useful information
- Polls Open at 6 AM and Close at 7 PM
- Find your polling place
- Register to vote
- About absentee ballots
- Track your ballot
Sample Ballot for the March 2nd Non-Partisan Primary Municipal Elections
Alaina Baumohl ‘23 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. She can be reached at abaumohlemail@wustl.edu.
Rohan Palacios ’21 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at rpalacios@wustl.edu.