ST. LOUIS – Alderwoman Cara Spencer and incumbent St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones advanced in Tuesday’s primary election, with Spencer taking first place, setting the stage for a matchup in April’s St. Louis mayoral election.

Alderwoman Cara Spencer clinched the top spot in the primary, receiving more than double the votes of her competitor, Mayor Tishaura Jones. Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler received support from 25 percent of voters and retired businessman and the only Republican on the ballot, Andrew Jones, garnered 14 percent of the votes, knocking them out of the race.

Spencer broke the news to supporters who gathered downtown that she finished first in Tuesday’s primary election.

“I feel good about St. Louis,” an exuberant Spencer told supporters.

During her campaign, Spencer promised streets would be plowed, trash would be picked up, and potholes would be fixed if she became mayor. On Tuesday, Spencer told supporters, “These next four years will be about so much more than potholes and trash. That is not the goal. The goal is to make St. Louis thrive.”

Tuesday’s second-place finisher, St. Louis Mayor Tishuara Jones, was greeted by cheering supporters in Midtown.

“Over the past four years, we’ve made strides in public safety,” she said, touting crime statistics that show decreases in homicides and juvenile shootings.

Jones told supporters her administration has invested in neighborhoods that have been neglected. She criticized Spencer’s critique that the city has failed to perform basic government functions.

“We’ve been working to improve all of the things that she talks about and we can talk and walk and talk and chew gum at the same time,” said Jones.

Spencer believes city residents disagree. “I think people are ready for change,” she said.

The election is April 8. The two candidates faced each other four years ago, with Jones defeating Spencer to become mayor.

FOX 2 News will host a debate between Spencer and Jones. You can watch Debate Night in St. Louis—The Race for Mayor” on FOX 2 and KPLR 11 on Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m. You can submit a question for the candidates by clicking here.