Third-year College student Sarah Kenny was elected Student Council president Thursday, defeating her opponent Kelsey Kilgore, a third-year Batten student. Kenny carried 82.5 percent of the vote and Kilgore received 17.5 percent of the vote.
Kenny, who has been a part of Student Council since her first year, served as Student Council vice president for administration over the last year. She campaigned on her experience and a platform of equity and diversity, and also promised increased transparency and accessibility within Student Council if elected president.
Her platform also included plans to promote diversity and inclusion in the student body as a whole and a “Know Your Rights” campaign to educate new students on their role in the University community.
While the candidates’ political affiliations and campaign funding became controversial during the campaign, Kenny said in a debate on Tuesday night that she remained positive in the time leading up to the election.
“I want to make clear to everyone … that in my campaign I have focused on being positive and being above board and talking about my experiences,” Kenny said Tuesday.
Kenny said she initially planned to spend $200 during the campaign and listed fliers, markers and Facebook marketing boosts among her expenses. She later increased her estimate after an interim expenditure report showed Kilgore had initially planned to spend an upwards of $2,490 on the campaign.
Kilgore had argued that as a Student Council outsider, her spending was necessary to compete against Kenny. Kilgore also told The Cavalier Daily she would likely spend closer to $1,500.
A final campaign expenditure report will be released Friday.
Kenny will preside over her first Student Council General Body meeting Tuesday, Feb. 28.
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