ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Tishaura O. Jones, who was recently re-elected treasurer of the city of St. Louis, announced her candidacy for mayor Wednesday.
“Our campaign will be one that brings together a coalition of people from every nook and cranny in our city — from Penrose to Holly Hills, from Natural Bridge to South Grand, from Fairgrounds Park to Forest Park,” Jones said on social media.
The St. Louis native started her political career in 2002 when she was the Democratic committeewoman of the 8th Ward in St. Louis. She made history in 2010 by becoming the first Black woman to be the House Assistant Minority Floor Leader in the General Assembly. She is also the first Black woman to serve as St. Louis’s treasurer.
Jones has been the St. Louis treasurer since 2013. She ran for mayor in 2017 but was defeated in the primaries by just 2 percent by eventual winner Lyda Krewson. Jones won re-election to treasurer earlier this week with nearly 78 percent of the vote, according to the final unofficial results.
Jones’ announcement follows a major change to mayoral election proceedings in St. Louis with the passage of Prop D this year. Prop D allows for voting in the primary election to decide the top two candidates, no matter party affiliation. Meaning, it will be possible for two Democrats or two Republicans to run against one another in the general election. Jones was supportive of Prop D.
In addition to Jones, Krewson and Cara Spencer, an alderman, have filed to run for mayor in the upcoming election. In St. Louis, the primary municipal election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March in odd-number years; the general municipal election is slated for the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April.
Madison Rudman is a graduate of the University of Arkansas where she studied communications and journalism. She resides in Kansas City with her family and two special needs rescue dogs. She brings her experience in digital journalism and social media to The Missouri Times team.
