CLAYTON, Mo. (CN) - At least four people were arrested early Wednesday as Ferguson protesters disrupted Democrat Steve Stenger's victory party in the St. Louis county executive election.
Stenger topped Republican Rick Stream by 1,800 votes. He was delivering a victory speech shortly after midnight when protesters started shouting and chanting. Some threw cardboard cutouts of tombstones toward the stage as Stenger spoke.
At least four protesters were arrested and about 20 were allowed to chant outside the hotel where Stenger's party was being held. No injuries were reported.
The Ferguson protests affected the St. Louis county executive's race.
Once considered an easy win for Stenger in the Democratic stronghold, the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests exposed a divide between white and black Democrats.
In an unusual move, a group of black Democratic leaders endorsed Stream, who held a slim lead for most of the night. The final vote drop put Stenger ahead.
Protesters are upset about Stenger's ties with St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch. Protesters want McCulloch removed from the Brown shooting investigation. McCulloch endorsed Stenger in the primary in August, when Stenger defeated incumbent Charlie Dooley in a contentious race. Dooley, who spent 10 years in office, was the first African-American county executive.
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