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Tishaura Jones addressing supporters on primary night. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI Cara Spencer easily outpaced Lewis Reed to advance. | COURTESY CARA SPENCER CAMPAIGN
The Primary’s Big Winners — and Losers
Written by DANNY WICENTOWSKI
Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer will face each other in the April 6 general election to be St. Louis’ next mayor, but last week’s unprecedented primary was bigger than just the candidates’ individual victories.
The election was also an experiment: As the RFT detailed previously, St. Louis’ rollout of approval voting has been shadowed by measures of both anticipation and concern, and no one could predict how voters would behave when given the option to approve of “as many” candidates as they wished. One researcher described the March 2 primary as simply “a big unknown.”
But as the dust begins to settle, some of those doubts are now clear — a cause for celebration to some, and, for others, a disaster.
Winner: Approval Voting
The first big uestion of the primary — would St. Louis voters actually “approve” multiple candidates? — was answered shortly after 8 p.m. with the first batch of results released by the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners.
At the time, Patrick Lynn, campaign manager for Lewis Reed, was inside S Wires Restaurant Annex in Lafayette S uare, where the campaign’s watch party was just getting started. Standing at a computer set up next to a projector at the front of the room, Lynn pulled up the early results from 3,934 absentee ballots: They showed Tishaura Jones ahead of Reed by less than two percentage points, with Cara Spencer comfortably in third.
But what stood out to Lynn was total votes, the “approvals,” numbering some 5,400 — far more than the number of ballots. Working the math out in his head, he said the numbers suggested that about 40 percent of voters were approving multiple candidates.
“I’m actually surprised it’s this high. I was thinking it was going to be more like one-third of the people would vote for more than one,” he said, scrolling through the numbers. “I think there’s probably a lot of people who showed up at the polls on primary day and had no idea that you could vote for more than one.”
Whether or not voters knew about the new system beforehand, they appeared to embrace it. The final, unofficial results show voters approved an average of 1.56 candidates per ballot.
It was a major victory for the approval voting system, which has never been tested in a city of St. Louis’ size or political complexity. Aaron Hamlin, executive director of the nonprofit Center for lection Science — which has backed local efforts, including those in St. Louis, to institute approval voting systems — tweeted joyfully primary night as the results made it more and more clear that voters had indeed responded to the new system.
Hamlin noted that “the progressive vote in St. Louis was not split,” seemingly in reference to the progressive candidates’ performance, with 57 percent of voters approving Tishaura Jones and 46 percent approving Cara Spencer. This wasn’t 2017 all over again.
“No voting bloc should have to suffer from vote-splitting,” Hamlin’s tweet continued. “Good luck doing that under the crappy choose-one voting method. More cities need to use approval voting!”
Loser: Turnout
How bad was St. Louis’ turnout for the primary? With just 22 percent of registered voters showing up, the 44,358 ballots cast in the primary notched a drop of more than 11,000 votes compared to 2017.
While this may have been expected given the pandemic, having less than a quarter of your voters show up to choose the city’s next mayor is a bad look. It could also make it more difficult for a future mayor to cite a mandate of the city’s voters if only a sliver of the city can get themselves to the polls.
Perhaps, with the mayoral race now simplified to two candidates, the turnout could look very different on April 6 after an additional month of campaigning and public interest — though that doesn’t do much for voters worried about catching COVID-19. Despite vaccine efforts, the virus isn’t going to disappear by the general election next month, but Missouri’s election laws have already moved on: Thanks to the Missouri General Assembly, residents are no longer able to qualify for absentee voting by citing their status as “at risk” for infection, as they were able to do during the November presidential election.
Who knows, St. Louis could surprise us with a massive showing. But right now, the prospects for a healthy turnout are not looking great for the next pandemic election.
Winner: Virvus Jones
On primary night, as a crowd of reporters waited for a off are single moms currently press conference outside raising school-age sons — a Tishaura Jones’ cam- perspective that’s never before paign headquarters, Vir- occupied the mayor’s office. vus Jones, a former city Spencer and Jones already comptroller, emerged share policy priorities and from the interior with a broadly agree on the city’s need joking request for those to address public safety, but the assembled there. overlap in this role means that,
“Is there a Tod Robber- whomever voters choose, the son here?” he asked the next mayor will be tapped into crowd, referencing the the region’s education system editor of the St. Louis Post- in a way that’s familiar to thouDispatch’s editorial page. sands of families.
“Anybody?” he called Kids the same age as Spenagain. “Anybody seen cer’s and Jones’ sons are countTod Robberson?” ing on schools to ourish and
Robberson was not function into the future, and there, but Virvus was for a city whose government clearly enjoying the mo- is institutionally absent from ment as a vindication its school district, having an for his daughter: For active parent arrive on the years, Tishaura Jones St. Louis voters told Lewis Reed they still don’t want him to be scene couldn’t have happened has sparred bitterly with mayor. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI at a better time. the Post-Dispatch’s editorial page, accusing it, and Loser: Lewis Reed Robberson in particular, of de- board awarded its endorsements There’s no charm in losing an ploying racism in commentary on to Cara Spencer and Lewis Reed, election, and for Lewis Reed, the multiple controversies involving though not without adding a jab latest defeat marks his third failed her office. irvus has waded into at Tishaura Jones for refusing to run at the St. Louis mayor’s office. this fight as well, spending the participate in the paper’s candi- Yet, whoever the next mayor is, 2021 election repeatedly blasting date forum. they will have to deal with him as Robberson on Twitter. As the city’s largest police union, Board of Aldermen president for
For Virvus, however, the vic- the SLPOA endorsement has long at least the next two years. tory is about more than just the been seen as a dubious mark Reed is a skilled and successful satisfaction of seeing his Twitter among the city’s progressives, public official, and you’d have to targets lose face. He is a commit- who revile the association’s ex- be to spend more than two deted cheerleader of his daughter’s tremely revile-able business man- cades in city government, includcareer, and it shows: It’s not often ager, Jeff Roorda. In the associa- ing four terms in the top job above you have a public official’s father tion’s endorsements, featured in the city’s legislative body. hop on Twitter to wryly debunk its latest newsletter, it described In his concession speech, Reed the perception that his daughter Tishaura Jones as an “anti-police urged St. Louisans to come tois “aloof, smug or standoffish” by mayoral candidate” and offered gether and “put aside some of the explaining “she got her wonkiness a guarded endorsement of Lewis differences that constantly divide honest” through an upbringing in Reed. The endorsement gushed at us.” He vowed that he would work a politically active household. the candidacy of Andrew Jones, with the future mayor to improve
Quoted in a February 22 Post- describing him as “a breath of St. Louis: Dispatch retrospective on the fresh air” and “unwavering in his “I’m going to work with them “baggage” of old St. Louis politics support of rank-and-file cops.” just like they were my best friends, in the 2021 election, Virvus said In the end, though, voters re- and I’m going to support them like his daughter’s victory wouldn’t jected Reed in favor of the race’s they were my sisters and brothchange his role in her life. two progressives, and Andrew ers, because that’s what we’re go-
“I will do as I have done all my Jones finished with 1 percent ing to have to do, because this is life,” he said. “Whatever I can do of approvals, miles behind both greater than all of us.” to help my daughter to be success- Reed and Spencer. It suggests that Reed’s political future is a crossful in whatever she wants to do.” few voters followed the endorse- roads. While he’s won election ments’ proposed pairings — if after election for president of the Losers: Endorsements and they were even aware of them to Board of Aldermen, his 2019 victoThird-Party Candidates begin with. ry was a nail biter, with less than In light of the doubt swirling in the 2,000 votes separating him from lead-up to the primary, it’s notable Winner: Single Moms his two opponents. that two major endorsements, St. Louis is facing a historic educa- Reed’s performance in the 2021 from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tion crisis and calls for a morato- mayoral race doesn’t bode well and St. Louis Police fficers’ As- rium on new charter schools. With for a fourth attempt. According to sociation, appeared to make little that focus on students and young the unofficial results, he failed to difference in the outcome. people, it shouldn’t go unnoticed win the majority of approvals in
The Post-Dispatch’s editorial that both candidates in the run- even a single ward. n
Blunt Bowing Out in 2022
Written by DOYLE MURPHY
Sen. Roy Blunt announced on Monday that he’s not going to run for re-election.
“After fourteen general election victories — three to county office, seven to the United States House of Representatives and four statewide elections — I won’t be a candidate to the United States Senate next year,” Blunt said in a video.
Missouri’s 71-year-old senior senator gave no reason for hanging it up, but the bombshell announcement is sure to open a wild campaign to replace him. Former Missouri state senator Scott Sifton, a Democrat, had already announced plans to challenge Blunt, and ex-Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has been following some sort of weird, multistep plan to resurrect his reputation — most recently suggesting he might challenge Blunt.
But Blunt’s exit means the race will be wide open, ensuring more will join the field. In the hours after his announcement, prospective successors began releasing vague statements, just non-committal enough to easily abandon if donors don’t bite. Include Congress-
Sen. Roy Blunt appeared in front of a dairy barn to announce he’s hanging it up. | SCREENSHOT
woman Ann Wagner, Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and Congressman Jason Smith on the Republican side and Kansas City Mayor Quiton Lucas for the Democratic. Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who came within 80,000 votes of upsetting Blunt in 2016 tweeted a polite hell no after Democrats immediately began lobbying for him to make another run.
More are expected, given that the 2022 could be a once-in-a generation opportunity for whoever wins.
An establishment Republican, Blunt was virtually unbeatable, as he modestly noted while recounting every victory. In recent years, he’d played the straight man to Sen. Josh Hawley’s insurgentsummoning careerism. Blunt managed to give enough support to Donald Trump to keep the exPresident from targeting him, but not so much as to earn the full fury of the left.
In his video address, Blunt spoke in front of a dairy barn where he said his parents milked cows, spooling out a parable about hard work and finishing the job.
“In almost 12,000 votes in the Congress, I’m sure I wasn’t right every time,” Blunt said, forcing a chuckle. “But you really make that decision based on the information you have at the time.”
He wrapped up by thanking his family and supporters.
“Most importantly, thanks to Missourians, whether you voted for me or not, for the opportunity to work for you and a better future for our state and our country.” n
Search for Jesus
Written by DOYLE MURPHY
Have you seen Jesus?
A bronze statue of the sleeping son of man was sawed off its base in front of New Life Evangelical Center and hauled away in a crime that played out in a bizarre series of events this past week.
“It was a real shock,” the Rev. Ray Redlich tells the RFT.
The caper began on the night of March 2. As the city was tallying votes in the mayoral primary, a resident of the Terra Cotta Lofts on Locust Street in Downtown West spotted someone with a power saw crouched at the base of the sculpture known as “Homeless Jesus,” which features the deity sleeping beneath a blanket on a park bench.
With funding from donors, New Life installed the sculpture, a replica of the original by Canadian artist Timothy Schmaltz, about five years ago outside what was then an active overnight homeless shelter.
Police say the caller described seeing the suspect and a black pickup truck in front of the statue in the 1400 block of Locust. When officers arrived, they found the 57-year-old man and pickup in the next block. Inside the truck was a gaspowered saw, police say. The man was taken into custody and later released pending the application of a warrant.
Three of the bench legs had been sliced, but a rod that bore most of the weight was still in place, Redlich says. It seemed a would-be thief had been thwarted.
“We thought that was the end of it,” Redlich says.
It wasn’t. On the morning of March 5, staffers were checking the perimeter of the building when they discovered that the sculpture had been completely severed from its base and hauled into the street. Redlich says they tried to drag it back, but it was too heavy. They went inside to figure out what to do next, and when they returned less than fifteen minutes later, it was gone.
Redlich says they’ve made a new report to police. He suspects the March 2 sawing is connected to the subsequent theft, but he can’t say for certain. In fact, police on Monday released surveillance camera images of white truck (as opposed to the black truck described in the initial report) that detectives suspect is tied to the theft.
Redlich remains hopeful Homeless Jesus will be found and returned. The sculpture was meant as a message to anyone who saw it.
“We felt that this would be a real witness to the community as far as who Jesus is, what he stands for and that he identifies with the homeless,” Redlich says.
New Life is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the return of an intact sculpture. Anyone with information can call the center at 314-421-3020. n
