Tishaura Jones was named mayor of St. Louis on Tuesday. Louis prefers, making her the first black woman to hold the post.
Results showed Tuesday night that Jones, the city’s current treasurer, awarded her opponent, Alderman Cara Spencer, 52-48.
Both Jones and Spencer campaigned as advocates for social justice that would implement criminal law reform.
St. Louis and nearby Ferguson were the focal points of civil protests following the assassination of Michael Brown in 2014, around which time the Black Lives Matter movement gained national traction.
Jones participated in the race with an existing base of support for a failed mayoral campaign in 2017 and willing offers for treasurer and ties with a bunch of city officials, including Sam Page, executive St. She was considered a frontrunner after coming in first place in the March 2 primary.
Tuesday’s race was the second phase of the non-partisan voting system in St. Petersburg. A by-election was held on March 2 in which voters could vote for as many candidates as they wanted, while the end of April was designated only for those who won the most support.
Jones recently won her position as treasurer in 2020 and will be sworn in as mayor on April 20th.