St. Louis

Jones’s election is the latest in a string of progressive victories in the region.

Days before the election, campaign finance reports show that real-estate and construction industries favor Cara Spencer over Tishaura Jones.

The mayoral candidate said she wants to drive down violent crime, stimulate economic growth and development, and reinvest in the city’s struggling schools and neighborhoods.

Four first-time candidates could grant progressives a majority on the Board of Alders and transform public safety and housing policy.

Tishaura Jones wants to decriminalize offenses and transfer people out of the Workhouse. Cara Spencer wants to end the contract to house federal detainees.

Two progressive candidates will move on to the general election, while Lewis Reed, a figure in St. Louis’s Democratic party establishment since 1999, couldn’t carry a single ward.

The two candidates will move on to the April 6 general election after securing the most votes under the city’s new approval voting system.

Whether the city will do more to keep people in their homes or simply do more of the same depends on who voters elect as the next mayor.

Jones says her experience transforming the treasurer’s office will make her an effective mayor. Voters will let candidates know what they think next week.

The four candidates vying to replace the mayor are each promising to build a better St. Louis, and in a little over a week, voters will decide which visions they endorse.