When the final votes rolled in for the St. Paul mayor’s race, even some of Kaohly Her’s supporters seemed taken aback that she had unseated Melvin Carter, who had handily won his last two elections.

“It seems like nobody expected me to win, except me,” said Her on Wednesday, the day after a hard-fought election that unfolded in just a matter of weeks.

Her, who announced her candidacy in early August, said she had no time or money to conduct formal polling during the campaign, but it became clear to her she had the advantage when she hired a campaign manager before Carter did.

“We were talking with the same person,” said Her, who said she found that the mayor had done little in the way of door knocking until she entered the race.

Between Aug. 4, when she officially entered the five-way

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