Lyda Krewson says she and her family were thrilled after her victory in the St. Louis Democratic mayoral primary in March—and for good reason. The win established her as the front-runner going into the April 4 general election in a city that has leaned left for decades. Eighty percent of St. Louis city voters are registered Democrats, and the last Republican to hold the mayor’s seat was Aloys P. Kaufman in 1949.
During the primary election, Krewson received 17,253 votes. Republican primary winner Andrew Jones, who is expected to be her main challenger on Tuesday, received 1,025 votes.
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Despite all this, Krewson, the 28th Ward alderwoman and PGAV chief financial offices, says she’s not assuming anything.
“I don’t take the April 4 election for granted at all,” says Krewson, speaking over the phone from her campaign office. “We’re campaigning 24/7. We’re knocking on doors, doing phone calls, doing mail. We’re running a very vigorous campaign.”
In addition to Jones, Krewson is running against independent candidate Larry Rice, director of New Life Evangelistic Center; “rock ‘n’ roll” Libertarian candidate Robb Cunningham; Green Party candidate Johnathan McFarland; and independent candidate Tyrone Austin.
See also: A Guide to St. Louis’ Mayoral Candidates
During the primary, Krewson received 32 percent of the vote in a crowded field of seven candidates. She narrowly edged out City Treasurer Tishaura Jones by fewer than 1,000 votes. Most of Krewson’s support came from her base, in the south and west side of the city, and near the ward that she represents. But her support waned in the northern part of St. Louis; in four wards, she received less than 5 percent of the vote. African-American candidates won the city wards with predominantly African-American residents during last month’s primary, while nearly all of the wards with majority white residents went to Krewson.
Like last November’s presidential election, Andrew Jones’ position as a political outsider could play a role in the election. Krewson, who’s held her current aldermanic seat since 1997, has political allies in local and regional government. She was endorsed by Mayor Francis Slay and received support from Collector of Revenue Gregg Daly, 24th Ward Ald. Scott Ogilvie, and the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association, among others.
Another reason the election could be closer than expected: the low voter turnout expected Tuesday. The last time the mayor’s seat was up for grabs, four years ago, just 12 percent of registered voters showed up to the polls, and Slay won in a landslide, with 19,989 votes to Green Party candidate James McNeely’s 3,779. (There were no Republican candidates on the April 2013 ballot.) In last month’s primary, voter turnout was higher, at 28 percent.
In an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Andrew Jones cited Democratic voter apathy as an advantage going into Tuesday’s election. “People on the other side aren’t as energized as we are. That bodes well for us,” he said. “We see a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not a train, it’s an opportunity.”
Jones is the vice president of business development and marketing for Southwest Electric Cooperative in southern Illinois. He also serves on multiple boards for economic development commissions and community development groups and is a board member for the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois. As mayor, he plans to reduce violent crime and ensure neighborhood safety.
Krewson says her top priority as mayor will also be neighborhood safety. She hopes to hire additional police officers in the city and make their pay competitive with surrounding regions. As alderman, she pushed through initiatives such as a smoking ban and a campaign to discourage panhandling. She’s also helped attract several development projects to the city.
See also: A guide to Tuesday’s ballot measures in St. Louis City and County
