St. Paul Voters Defeat George W. Bush

Whoopsie. 

It is really starting to unravel for the republicans right now. Moderate and conservative factions of the party are in-fighting. The budget bill has stalled, and some republican congress members are calling for stricter investigations of various administration actions. All this comes on top of the numerous PR disasters the republicans have gone through in the last few months.

If the St. Paul mayoral election is any indication, the public and even some republicans are beginning to sour on G.W. Bush and Co. For those who don’t know, incumbent Randy Kelly lost to former city council member Chris Coleman. This marked the first time in two decades, and the second time in fifty years, that the incumbent lost a St. Paul mayoral election.

By most accounts Mayor Kelly had done a good job. He had maintained a balanced budget in the face of decreasing state aid. He was a tireless cheerleader for the Capitol City. Kelly received praise for much of his work. So why did he lose? One reason: George W. Bush.

During the summer of 2004, Randy Kelly shocked most observers by standing on stage with G.W. and endorsing him for president. It was shocking because Kelly was and is a democrat. Many commentators thought that Kelly would stay-out of the presidential race, suggesting he would endorse Bush would have been considered pure speculation at best and laughable at worst. This is Minnesota. And St. Paul is one of the most liberal areas of the state.

It should not come as a surprise that the voters of St. Paul took the Kelly / Coleman vote as an opportunity to express their opinion of Bush. The city attempted to raise its collective middle finger toward the G.W. gang. (Kelly lost 3 to1) But what does the administration care what the voters of St. Paul think? And was this fair to Kelly, an otherwise accomplished mayor?

I really don’t think the administration even noticed Kelly lost. And Kelly definitely deserved what he got. Nobody forced him to put his arm around Bush. Maybe he thought he could earn some favors either for the city or personally. But it just doesn’t make much sense. Even local journalists are befuddled: Why?

All in all things are not looking good for republicans, as the recent St. Paul mayoral election demonstrates. And the last three months have not been kind to the administration. Whether or not the democrats can get organized and take advantage of the situation, is another question. But for now all they have to do is sit back and hand their republican colleagues a little more rope…