Donald Trump may have been elected president of the United States on Tuesday, November 8, and Hillary Clinton may have taken down every single statewide Democrat in Missouri with her when she lost – governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and state treasurer – but there were some local victories at the polls.
At the lowest, cellular level of the Democratic Party, activist Rasheen Aldridge beat incumbent 5th Ward Committeeman Rodney Hubbard soundly in a special election, 1,974 votes (60.3 percent) to 1,266 votes (38.7 percent). A judge ordered a special election due to Hubbard’s improper use of absentee ballots in the August 2 Democratic primary.
This continues the remaking of North St. Louis politics, as Bruce Franks Jr. previously won a special election against Penny Hubbard for the 78th House District in North City, after successfully challenging Hubbard’s use of absentee ballots in their August 2 primary. Franks became state representative-elect for the district on Tuesday, beating the Republican candidate, Erik Shelquist, 10,574 votes (85.8 percent) to 1,705 votes (13.9 percent).
The disruption of the Hubbards’ absentee-ballot program – which has benefitted Mayor Francis G. Slay, among many other Democrats willing to deal with the Hubbards – will have its next battle on March 7, when Megan Betts plans to challenge Tammika Hubbard for 5th Ward alderwoman in the municipal primary election. The weakened power of the Hubbards also has implications for the St. Louis mayoral contest that will be decided in March.
In other city elections, St. Louis is now posed for a reboot of its criminal justice system, with a new circuit attorney-elect and sheriff-elect, both African Americans. Running unopposed for circuit attorney, Kimberly Gardner got more votes than anyone else on the city ballot (110,947). Vernon Betts soundly beat a Republican candidate for sheriff, John Castellano, 96,457 votes (79.2 percent) to 24,981 votes (20.5 percent). Jennifer Joyce has been circuit attorney since 2000 and Jim Murphy has been sheriff since 1989, when George H.W. Bush was elected as U.S. president, so this is a major change.
Incumbent Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones easily defeated two challengers, with 93,562 votes (76.4 percent). Darren Grant got 22,549 votes (18.4 percent) and Jerome Bauer got 6,048 votes (4.9 percent).
Incumbent 5th District state Senator Jamilah Nasheed, who represents most of the city, also firmly defeated a challenger, Stephen Schaper, 52,151 votes (84.9 percent) to 8,988 votes (14.6 percent).
Incumbent 1st District U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, who represents the city and most of North County, easily defeated two challengers with 231,604 votes (75.5 percent). Republican Steven G. Bailey got 61,252 votes (20 percent), while Libertarian Robb E Cunningham got 13,954 votes (4.5 percent).
In St. Louis County, Rochelle Walton Gray – who pulled off a stunning upset of incumbent 4th District Councilman Mike O’Mara in the August 2 Democratic Primary – easily defeated two challengers with 46,718 votes (74.2 percent). Republican Curtis Faulkner got 13,999 votes (22.2 percent) and Libertarian Jeff Coleman got 2,182 votes (3.5 percent).
In the 68th House District, which covers Florissant, Democrat Jay Mosley defeated Republican Keith English, 9,633 votes (56.9 percent) to 7,267 votes (42.9 percent). English had represented the district as a Democrat until he was removed from House committees by the Democratic House leadership after siding with Republicans on controversial veto votes.
Mosley is Gray’s brother-in-law, and her husband, Alan Gray, also won her old 75th House District seat, running unopposed, with 13,424 votes. Missouri Democrats have not yet learned to harness it consistently, but Unity PAC, which helped to elect all of these candidates, remains a potent electoral force in North County.
All vote tallies are unofficial.
