After a contentious campaign, incumbent Mayor Francis Slay defeated Aldermanic President Lewis Reed in yesterday's Democratic primary. According to unofficial results, Slay received 54.4 percent of the vote, while Reed garnered 44.3. In all, more than 43,000 St. Louisans went to the polls, about 22 percent of registered voters. With the win, Slay is all but guaranteed a fourth term in office (he faces Green Party candidate James McNeely in the April general election), which would make him the longest serving mayor in the city's history.
Race was a major issue in the lead-up to the election, with each side accusing the other of playing the proverbial race card. Reed criticized Slay for not doing enough to reduce crime, and tried to rally support among groups (like firefighters upset about their pensions) unhappy with Slay's long tenure. But in the final analysis, Slay's victory was sealed by his major fundraising advantage, key endorsements (including from U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay), and a savvy campaign that had a strong presence on social media. On the other side, Reed seemed to constantly be shuffling his campaign staff, and failed to draw enough distinctions between himself and Slay.
Despite the wide margin of victory in the race for mayor, Election Day did come with a bit of drama. State Senator Jamilah Nasheed, who supported Slay, made a somewhat controversial comment on Facebook, saying, "If you don't like Slay because he is white, vote for Jimmy Matthews, because Reed is no different than Slay." This drew the ire of Reed supporters, who said it was proof that Matthews was only in the race to take black votes away from Reed. In the end, Matthews received just 575 votes, so his presence was a non-factor.
Meanwhile, in the aldermanic race in Ward 5, the location of a polling place caused a bit of controversy. Many voters in that ward cast their ballots at the Carr Square Community Center, which just happens to be managed by the father of incumbent Alderwoman Tammika Hubbard. In fact, Hubbard's victory party was planned for the same location later that night. A mural on the wall in the room where voting takes place reads "Jonas Hubbard Jr." in large red letters.
Those facts didn't sit too well with challenger Michelle Hutchings-Medina. In the closest race of the day, she lost to Hubbard by a tally of 713-573.
