Mayoral Campaign
Williams, who publicly stated on several occasions that he was a "lifelong Democrat", did not run in the April Democratic primary for mayor. On May 3, 2005, he announced his intention to run for mayor as an independent.
Immediately after declaring his mayoral candidacy, Williams became a major contender for the office, along with Democratic nominee Bob Hagan. This development could not have been predicted, given that the 34-year-old Williams was the youngest candidate running. Further, he had no direct political experience. Nevertheless, Williams ran a popular campaign; and as the election neared, he seemed poised to pull ahead of rival Hagan.
On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Williams swept the field of six candidates to seize victory in Youngstown's mayoral race. Despite earlier evidence of a close race, the result shocked observers who had viewed Williams' relative youth and political inexperience as insurmountable hurdles to winning the election. While the reasons for the outcome remain unclear, some observers have attributed Williams' successful run to widespread dissatisfaction with the city's traditional leadership.
Read more about this topic: Jay Williams (politician)
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