ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Voters in St. Louis County headed to the polls Tuesday to choose the man who will likely lead St. Louis County. Steve Stenger held on for a victory by a narrow margin over Democratic challenger Mark Mantovani.
The race was tight all night and the last of the votes were counted slowly because polling machines in some precincts were not closed properly. But in the end, Stenger finished with 91,891 votes to Mantovani's 90,837.
Stenger was elected as County Executive in 2014 after beating incumbent Charley Dooley in the primaries and edging Rick Stream by about 2,000. In recent months, Stenger has battled with the city council over budget issues. In July, Councilman Dr. Sam Page said the disagreement could have led to a government shutdown in the county.
When we asked the candidates what makes them different from one another, Mantovani said he would bring better leadership skills and ethics to the position. Stenger said the difference starts at the party level, citing Mantovani's donations to Former Governor Eric Greitens.
On the Republican side, Paul Berry III defeated Daniel Sampson 31,841 to 24,533.
The County Executive has been held by a Democrat since 1991.
