Minnesota Student Association presidential candidate Adam Miller turned off the stereo and decided to watch a basketball game after he received the election results call at his apartment.
Miller and running mate Jill Sanders got fourth place in the race with 281 votes. Nikki Kubista and Erin Ferguson won with 450 votes.
Both candidates said they were disappointed with the loss. However, they said Kubista and Ferguson were the next best choice.
“If anyone else was going to win,” Miller said. “I am glad it was Nikki and Erin.”
Kubista and Ferguson have the passion, work ethic and grassroots organizing experience to succeed as the leaders of the student association, both Miller and Sanders said. It will be refreshing for MSA to have a new perspective, Miller added while surrounded by a dozen of his supporters.
But both candidates expressed concern about the winners’ lack of experience in MSA.
Both Kubista and Ferguson were elected as at-large representatives to the MSA Forum on April 14. Sanders said she fears the moderate to conservative political bent of the forum could defeat their liberal idealism.
“I really hope that forum doesn’t frustrate them,” Sanders said.
Miller said he was going to be involved with the student association regardless of the election results. He said the Kubista and Ferguson victory will motivate him to remain in the association and become a supporter of their administration.
Miller, a Carlson School of Management junior, and Sanders, a College of Liberal Arts senior, were endorsed by the Interfraternity and Panhellenic councils as well as The Minnesota Daily’s editorial board.
Sanders said she does not regret the campaign, but has learned that she will never run for political office again.
“It’s just not for me,” Sanders said. “I am just not political enough.”
The candidates were startled that their ticket received fourth place. It was not inconceivable that they lost, but fourth place is surprising, Miller said.
“I thought for sure they (Miller and Sanders) would win,” said Brandon Small, one of their supporters and a CLA senior.
Miller said the low voter turnout was because of the difficulty reaching a voting booth. There were only two voting booths because of the opportunity to vote online this year.
“It suggests online voting was not a good idea,” Miller said.