ST. LOUIS — Supporters of Tishaura O. Jones spent about $1.14 million on her successful race this year for mayor, post-election finance reports indicate.
That exceeded about $966,000 in expenditures in support of rival candidate Cara Spencer, who lost to Jones in the April 6 general election. Figures for the two include spending for both their primary and general election efforts.
When two other mayoral candidates who were eliminated in the March primary are added in, total spending on this year’s mayoral race reached about $2.7 million.
Committees backing Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, who finished third in the primary, accounted for almost all of the remainder, at least $623,000. The fourth-place candidate, utility executive Andrew Jones, reported spending about $17,000.
Most of Jones’ total includes spending by the mayor’s campaign committee and a pro-Jones political action committee called 314 Forward.
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The two Jones committees also had a total of about $150,000 left over after the election, the latest reports indicate.
In addition, the Jones spending total includes about $275,000 in outlays on Jones’ behalf made directly by various other groups.
Among the larger amounts reported were $107,000 from Washington-based Collective Future, a national group that works to elect Black candidates, and more than $89,000 from the Progress St. Louis Action Fund, which paid for mail, radio and digital ads.
About $26,000 apiece was put into the Jones effort by Higher Heights for America, a New York-based group which assists Black women candidates across the country, and the Action St. Louis Power Project.
Among larger donations to Jones’ committees in recent weeks were $2,500 from developer Richard Baron; $2,500 from Eric Thoelke, president of Toky Branding and Design; $2,600 from a committee associated with HNTB, an architecture and engineering firm; $2,600 from Caroline Fan, a startup consultant; and $2,600 from Gary Evee, a Massachusetts-based security consultant.
A United Auto Workers group gave $10,000 to the pro-Jones 314 Forward PAC.
Among major recent Spencer donors were former Wells Fargo Advisors executive Daniel Ludeman, who gave $10,000 to Gateway to Progress, a pro-Spencer PAC. That increased his total to the PAC to $20,000.
Anna McKelvey Ntena donated $19,500 and OHM Concession Group gave $2,500 to Gateway to Progress.
Spencer’s campaign committee got $2,600 contributions from Laborers Union Local 42; developer Steve Stogel; developer Pete Rothschild and an electrical contractors committee.
Reed’s campaign committee reported getting a $2,600 donation after the primary from a Carpenters Union political committee which previously gave $100,000 to a pro-Reed PAC, One St. Louis.
