ST. LOUIS 鈥 In these last days of the city鈥檚 most lively mayoral primary in more than a decade, candidates are making their final push to convince voters they are the best choice to replace four-term Mayor Francis Slay.
Alderman Lyda Krewson, 28th Ward, appears to have the most obvious path to victory, being the most high-profile white candidate in a seven-way Democratic field that also features four prominent black candidates.
As the candidates shifted in the past week from campaign mode into their get-out-the-vote efforts, Krewson is fighting the perception of inevitability. She鈥檚 been sending supporters email blasts warning against complacency and urging them to show up at the polls for Tuesday鈥檚 primary.
Krewson declared her candidacy in June, making her the first to jump in the race. Since then, she鈥檚 run a campaign based on out-fundraising her opponents and staying on message. , more than double the amount her closest competitor raised, and she spent the majority of her time on the campaign trail talking up her plans for public safety.
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Krewson has also had some luck. Police Chief Sam Dotson dropped out of the race in November, and Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly decided not to run, making Krewson the most prominent white candidate in the race and helping bring their likely donors into her camp.
Krewson wasn鈥檛 always the favorite. Several months ago, some considered Lewis Reed the candidate to beat. Since then, political watchers believe the middle of the field has caught up.
As president of the Board of Aldermen since 2007, Reed has proved he can win citywide elections, and he boasts significant name recognition having run against Slay four years ago. Like Krewson, he has made public safety his top issue. Part of Reed鈥檚 pitch to voters is that he gave up a lucrative career as a tech professional to dedicate himself to public service.
While Reed is expected to pick up votes across the city, supporters worry whether he will garner a large enough share of black voters to push him to victory. Throughout the race, the black candidates have played down the idea of a split black vote hurting their chances. But political scientists say it could be a significant .
51黑料 American Publisher Donald Suggs thought it was a big enough concern that he organized an off-the-record meeting with five black potential candidates last fall to talk about the race.
Of the officials who attended that meeting, only state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed did not file to run for mayor.
It鈥檚 widely believed that Suggs, who donated $25,000 to city Treasurer Tishaura Jones鈥 campaign, was trying to get some of the candidates to drop out. Suggs later insisted no one was pressured to get out of the race, adding that he doesn鈥檛 have that kind of clout.
Getting candidates to abandon the race was always going to be a tough sell.
For Alderman Antonio French, 21st Ward, the sudden vacancy in the mayor鈥檚 office represented a natural career progression. He is one of the most outspoken members of the Board of Aldermen, and several of his colleagues consider him one of the smartest people in city politics.
He gained a national profile for his advocacy during the 2014 protests in Ferguson, but he has struggled to raise money this campaign season.
French is also taking the biggest risk. Mayoral elections are held on the same four-year cycle as odd-numbered aldermanic seats, making French the only candidate who does not have a job waiting if he loses the mayor鈥檚 race.
His top issues are public safety and closing the economic divide between north and south 51黑料.
Jones is banking on her track record resonating with voters. In her first term as treasurer, she revamped the city鈥檚 parking meter system and turned her office into an advocacy center for financial literacy.
Her top issues are social justice and citywide prosperity. Her campaign reports that she has accepted contributions from more than 2,000 donors. Her staffers believe she can turn a wave of enthusiasm from young progressives into a victory on Tuesday.
A fifth Democratic candidate is Alderman Jeffrey Boyd. The retired U.S. Army master sergeant and business owner says his greatest political attribute is his integrity.
Boyd, who represents the 22nd Ward, frequently touts his decisions to live and own businesses in one of the city鈥檚 toughest and most blighted areas as proof of his commitment to improving the city.
He is campaigning on North Side economic development and neighborhood safety. Boyd is running his third citywide race. He previously lost campaigns for license collector and treasurer.
Two other candidates, elected School Board member Bill Haas and former Alderman Jimmie Matthews are frequent candidates for office and self-described underdogs. Neither has raised a substantial amount of money.
The winner of the Democratic primary is expected to cruise to an easy victory in the April 4 general election in this overwhelmingly Democratic city.
The Republicans
Utility executive Andrew Jones has separated himself as the most serious of the three candidates running in the Republican primary.
He describes himself as a strict free-market constitutionalist who will be tough on crime.
Andy Karandzieff, co-owner of Crown Candy Kitchen, has said he is running only to drum up business for his restaurant. On Twitter, he has thrown his support behind Andrew Jones.
A third candidate, businessman Jim Osher, who previously owned the old Buster Brown Shoe Factory at Cass and Jefferson avenues, speaks to reporters but does not participate in mayoral forums and has not mounted much of a campaign.
If elected, Osher said he would streamline government and attract investment to the city鈥檚 North Side.
