Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander endorsed Tishaura O. Jones in the city’s mayoral race on Monday, February 6.
In a short video released on social media, Kander said Jones, the St. Louis treasurer and his former colleague in the Missouri House of Representatives, is the candidate who can move the city forward.
“She has taken the Office of Treasurer from an office that a lot of people thought shouldn’t even be around anymore and turned it into something that has become essential and found new ways to provide value to the people of St. Louis,” Kander said in the video.
Jones modernized the office, especially its Parking Division, started an Office of Financial Empowerment, and created college savings accounts for all kindergarten students in Saint Louis Public Schools with parking revenues.
Jones told The St. Louis American that she felt honored to receive Kander’s endorsement because he is a “rising star” in the Democratic Party. Kander narrowly lost a challenge to Republican incumbent U.S. Senator Roy Blunt on November 8, doing better than every other statewide Democrat on the ballot in Missouri. Since the election, Kander has been very active nationally, suggesting his political ambitions are far from over.
“She ended up being one of the very first people to come out and support me, when no one was giving me a shot last year,” Kander said of Jones.
Kander, along with several others who have endorsed Jones, worked closely with her in Jefferson City, when she was a state representative and became the first African American elected by her Democratic colleagues to serve as assistant minority leader.
Kander’s support comes after Mayor Francis G. Slay’s endorsement of Lyda Krewson on February 2. Slay said Krewson, who has served on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen since 1997, “is the right person to lead our city into the future.”
“There’s a stark difference between the endorsements that have been released in the last week,” Jones said. “Jason represents our future and he represents progressive change, and a lot of people are looking toward my election through those same lenses. What is St. Louis going to look like in the future? Are we going to be progressive?”
With his endorsement, Kander joins about 25 elected officials who have endorsed Jones, including state Senator Jamilah Nasheed, St. Louis Sheriff Vernon Betts, Alderwoman Megan Green and St. Louis County Councilwoman Rochelle Walton Gray.
Also on February 6, Jones received the endorsement from Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She already had the support of NARAL, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and Rev. Traci Blackmon.
Krewson now has the support of Slay, Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly and the St. Louis Police Officers’ Association – three endorsements that most progressives associate with “establishment politics.”
When asked about Slay’s endorsement of Krewson, Jones said, “I’m not running for a fifth term for Slay.”
The primary election, when the Democratic nominee for mayor will be chosen, is March 7.
