ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louisans went to the polls and indicated they'd like a new mayor.
The primary election on Tuesday night saw challenger Cara Spencer net 68% of the vote to incumbent Tishuara Jones' 33%.
Because of "approval voting" rules, those top-two will now face off in an April general election.
Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler and retired businessman Andrew Jones received support from 25% and 14% of voters, respectively, but they were both knocked of the race.
The results were similar to pre-election polling which forecasted difficulty incumbent Mayor Jones.
Spencer, who was celebrating at the home of tech company, square, sounds like she's expecting a similar result from April's general election.
"These next four years will be about so much more than potholes and trash," said Spencer Tuesday night. "That is not the goal. The goal is to make St. Louis thrive."
"The goal is to have a bustling downtown.... where a riverfront is absolutely thriving."
Mayor Jones, who was at a Union Hall in Midtown, is pushing her supporters to keep up their hope -- and enthusiasm.
"We need you to come back out in 35 days and poll brief again at the polls," said Mayor Jones.
"We come too far to stop halfway. Our communities are tired of seeing investments, half-measures and politicians who only care when its election season."
Tuesday night's results will mark a rematch between Spencer and Jones. Both faced off against one another in the 2021 mayoral election, with Jones emerging victorious, receiving 51% of the vote to Spencer's 47%.
KMOX Political Analyst Michael Kelley was a guest on 'The Chris and Amy Show' Wednesday to give his thoughts on the results of the primary.
"This election was about Tishaura Jones," said Kelley. "I think Cara Spencer should be proud of the campaign she ran. For full disclosure, I've done some stuff and worked with some groups that have been supportive of Cara Spencer."
"There's no doubt about it that people came out and voted against Tishaura Jones."
Kelley says he thinks the turnout numbers of this primary, which was just under 20%, will remain around the same when the April mayoral election comes and he 'doesn't see it get better in a month.'
"It tells me two things, one, we have people that are disinterested or disenchanted, meaning they don't think it matters anymore," said Kelley. "Or we have this janky system where it's a beauty contest and it's not a true vote."