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Coleman ousts Kelly from St. Paul mayor's office
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| Contributor | Eric |
| Last Edited | Eric Nov 08, 2005 09:54pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Wednesday, November 9, 2005 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | St. Paul, Minn. — (AP) Voters punished Mayor Randy Kelly on Tuesday for standing with President Bush a year ago, denying the Democrat a second term in Minnesota's capital city.
Former City Council member Chris Coleman, also a Democrat, routed Kelly by a more than 2-to-1 margin in unofficial returns with most precincts reporting. Ahead of the election, independent polls showed voters were primed to fire Kelly, and most cited his 2004 endorsement of the Republican president as the reason.
No sitting St. Paul mayor had lost a campaign since 1974. Kelly had a personal election streak that spanned just as long, covering his quarter-century in the Legislature and first term as mayor.
"It may sound silly, but Kelly was for Bush and I'm not," said retiree Audrey Guith after casting her vote for Coleman.
Kelly found it impossible to change the topic in the campaign's final weeks. He tried to tout his record of adding affordable housing while keeping property taxes steady, and the mayor sought to paint Coleman as a tax-raiser beholden to public employee unions.
Arriving at his campaign headquarters, Kelly sounded resigned to defeat.
"I believe in the judgment of the people of St. Paul. Whatever it is, I accept it," he said.
Coleman, who endorsed Kelly four years ago, didn't let the issue drop.
"It was really a reflection of a broader question of values and judgment and direction you want to take the city," he said in the campaign's final debate.
Minneapolis also chose a mayor. Incumbent R.T. Rybak was favored to win a second term over Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, a fellow Democrat. |
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