Tishaura Jones has made history as the first Black woman to serve as mayor of St. Louis. Jones defeated alderwoman Cara Spencer by approximately 2,200 votes in this week's election. Elections results will be certified shortly, but Spencer has already conceded the race to her opponent.
"You have my support in making St. Louis the great city we know it can be," Spencer tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Jones is a two-time mayoral candidate. In 2017, she ran for mayor, but lost in the Democratic primary to Lyda Krewson. Krewson would go on to win the general election for mayor while Jones served as third term as the city's treasurer. In November, Jones announced that she would take a second run at the mayor's office and she succeeded in making history this time around.
"This campaign can unequivocally say that we've begun breaking down the historic racial barriers and the racial divides that exist, and have existed for generations in our city," Jones said.
For months, St. Louis has dealt with an economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic, a population decrease and a spike in homicides. Not to mention, the city's jail has experienced two uprisings in the past month. Having run on a platform many describe as progressive, Jones believes she can revitalized the city.
"As a city, we've been surviving. We've suffered disinvestments, decades of violence, broken promises from our city's leaders, who have bowed to the will of special interests and insider dealings," Jones said Tuesday.
"It's time for St. Louis to thrive."
Jones will officially be sworn in as mayor of St. Louis on April 20.