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Tiny Minnesota Town Re-Elects 'Adorable' 4-Year-Old as Mayor
This handout photo released by the Tufts family shows Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts, right, shaking hands with and unidentified woman in Dorset, Minn. (Photo: AP)

Tiny Minnesota Town Re-Elects 'Adorable' 4-Year-Old as Mayor

"He’s an adorable little guy and he’s been great for our town."

DORSET, Minn. (TheBlaze/AP) --Robert "Bobby" Tufts was only 3-years-old when he first threw his hat into the political arena, winning the mayoral race of a small tourist town in northern Minnesota.

Having yet to step foot inside a kindergarten, he has just been re-elected to his post as mayor of Dorset.

"He’s an adorable little guy and he’s been great for our town," Gloria Driscoll, owner of the Heartland Trial Bed & Breakfast, remarked.

Here are a few photos of the pint-sized mayor:

This handout photo released by the Tufts family shows Mayor Robert "Bobby" Tufts, right, shaking hands with and unidentified woman in Dorset, Minn. (Photo: AP)

In this June 26, 2013 photo taken in Dorset, Minn., Bobby Tufts, the small town's 4-year-old mayor, poses for a photo before starting the Ronald McDonald fundraising walk. (Photo: AP)

The results were announced during the popular Taste of Dorset festival (the town describes itself as "the restaurant capital of the world"), when thousands flock to the town.  The boy had been campaigning for weeks, passing out flyers and mingling with constituents.

However, the race is largely for show since the city has no formal city government and a population of 22 to 28, depending on whether the minister and his family are in town.  Moreover, anyone can vote as many times as they like - for $1 a vote - at any of the ballot boxes in stores around town. The proceeds go toward organizing the festival.

Local CBS affiliate WCCO-TV has more on the story:

Bobby's mother, Emma Tufts, said she and her son both got choked up when his name was pulled for re-election Sunday.  It reportedly marked the first time an incumbent has won re-election in the town.

"He's been going since 3 o'clock yesterday with cameras on his face," Emma said Sunday afternoon. "He's having a long day but he's done really well. I'm surprised."

Asked how he felt during a phone interview, a tired Bobby made clear he was done answering questions. "I want to be with the boys," he told his mother.

They were on their way to dinner and then planned to go fishing or have a bonfire to celebrate. Bobby, of nearby Nevis, starts preschool this fall.

(Photo via KARE11

Emma Tufts said 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.  A campaign poster (seen on the right) also pledges: "As your mayor of Dorset, I vow to make sure that the food is high in nutrition."

Below the text is an improvised food pyramid with "ice cream" at the top, and "other food" at the bottom.

The campaign already raised $750 from a walk this summer and planned to donate half the proceeds of Sunday's T-shirt sales to the charity. Bobby wants to do a snowshoe scavenger hunt this winter to raise money, she said.

The conservative blog WeaselZippers sarcastically commented: "I’d take this kid over Carlos Danger any day of the week."

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