KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser Tuesday became the first incumbent to lose a bid for re-election in Missouri's largest city since the 1920s.
Two lawyers, Mike Burke and Sly James, won spots in the March 22 general election, The Kansas City Star reported. Burke, a former member of the City Council, was slightly ahead of James, with both picking up 26 percent of the vote.
Funkhouser came in third with 21 percent.
A native of West Virginia, Funkhouser served as Kansas City auditor from 1988 to 2006. He promised "a shift away from back-room deal making and toward an open style of governance that respects and listens to citizens."
In his concession speech, Funkhouser noted he trailed Burke and James in campaign spending.
There were three other candidates in the race.
