4-Year-Old Mayor Of Dorset, Minn. Wins Re-Election
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts was 3 years old when he was first elected as mayor of Dorset. On Sunday, he was granted a second term.
"It's crazy," his mom, Emma, said.
Big Day For 4-Year-Old Mayor Of Dorset, Minn.
In the final hours of his campaign, Dorset's incumbent mayor left nothing to chance. With cards in hand he spent all day stumping at the annual Taste of Dorset Festival.
"I got up super early before anyone," Bobby said.
He hoped to win support from the thousands of undecided voters. For just $1 per vote, people submitted names to the town's ballot boxes.
In this race, ballot box stuffing is ideal. Still, it's not a guaranteed victory because the winner is picked at random.
His mom, Emma Tufts, says he likes the attention in the "unincorporated town" of Dorset, which has no formal city government and has a population of 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town.
The Tufts live in nearby Nevis.
Hard work has its rewards for Bobby, who celebrated his victory as only a four year old can – with ice cream.
Emma says her son's agenda includes raising money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Red River Valley in Fargo, N.D., and a new welcome sign for Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World.
Original Story: Bobby Tufts, The 4-Year-Old Mayor
They already raised $750 from a walk this summer and planned to donate half the proceeds of Sunday's T-shirt sales to the charity. He wants to do a snowshoe scavenger hunt this winter to raise money, she said.
Bobby said before being re-elected that it will remain politics as usual in the small town.
The mayor starts preschool this fall.
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