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Bobby Tufts, 5-Year-Old Mayor, Unseated By 16-Year-Old In Dorset, Minnesota

5-Year-Old Mayor Loses Reelection Quest
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Reporter, HuffPost

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In the race to be the mayor of a tiny Minnesota town, pre-schooler Robert "Bobby" Tufts was defeated by a comparative elder statesman — a 16-year-old.

Tufts, better known as Mayor Bobby, was first elected in 2012 to the ceremonial position of mayor of Dorset, population 25, according to KARE.

The unincorporated town — the self-proclaimed "Restaurant Capital of the World" — elects a mayor each year in a fundraiser for the local food festival. Ballots cost $1 a pop and voters fill in a name on the paper slip. The winner is chosen by picking a name out of a hat.

Mayor Bobby's mom announced her son's defeat on Sunday.

"Sadly Robert is no longer mayor," Emma Tufts wrote on Facebook.

But last month, she let it be known in an interview with the Minnesota Post that the job's obligations were too tiring — for her.

The Post described her as Bobby's "chief of staff, appointments manager, chauffeur and, as it turns out, head bottle washer."

During his two terms in office, the spotlight beamed brightly on Bobby, who made appearances on the Today show and Good Morning America. He balanced image with substance, making food drives for the Ronald McDonald House a cornerstone of his mayoralty.

The reins of power are now in the hands of 16-year-old Eric Mueller, according to CBS Minnesota.

He was vacationing in town with his family.

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Before You Go

Boy Mayor
Boy Mayor(01 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Dorset , Minn., Bobby Tufts, the small town's 4-year-old mayor, poses for a photo before starting the Ronald McDonald fundraising walk. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(02 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Nevis , Minn., Bobby Tufts, the 4-year-old mayor of Dorset, Minn., kisses a fish that his guide, Jason Durham, caught on Lake Belle Taine. The fish, the first was released. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(03 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Nevis , Minn., Bobby Tufts, the 4-year-old mayor of Dorset, Minn., prepares to go fishing, one of his favorite pastimes. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(04 of08)
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This handout photo released by the Tufts family shows Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts, right, shaking hands with and unidentified woman in Dorset, Minn. Tufts hasn't made it to preschool yet, but he's already been elected twice as mayor of a tiny tourist town in northern Minnesota. Mayor Tufts' name was picked Sunday Aug. 4, 2013 during annual Taste of Dorset festival to be mayor of Dorset for a second term. It has no formal city government and has a population of 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town. (AP Photo/Courtesy Tufts Family) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(05 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Dorset , Minn., Bobby Tufts, the 4-year-old mayor, hands out his card to potential voters for his re-election bid. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(06 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Dorset , Minn., Bobby Tufts, the small town's 4-year-old mayor, front, leads children and adults in the Ronald McDonald fundraising walk. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(07 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Dorset , Minn., Jeannette Dudley, co-owner of Dorset House Family Restaurant, poses by the ballot box at the window of her restaurant in the Dorset mayor race. Bobby Tufts, the 4-year-old mayor, is running for re-election. Bobby was only 3 when he won election last year as mayor of Dorset (population 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town). Dorset, which bills itself as the Restaurant Capital of the World, has no formal city government. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Boy Mayor(08 of08)
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In this photo made Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in Dorset , Minn., the campaign hat of Bobby Tufts, the small town's 4-year-old mayor, sits on a table. Bobby is seeking re-election. (AP Photo/Jeff Baenen) (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
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