William "Bill" Edward Kelly III was the Republican candidate for Michigan House of Representatives in the 49th district [1][2] in 2006. He suffered a defeat at the hands of incumbent Lee Gonzales (D-Flint). Final total was Kelly 24.6%, Gonzales 74.9%.[1]
In April 2007, Kelly announced his intention to run for US House of Representatives - Michigan's 5th district against Dale Kildee (D-Flint). He has since been identified as an important player in Michigan Republican presidential politics after changing his presidential endorsement of US Senator John McCain to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.[2][3] Kelly dropped out in his bid for congress, deciding instead to focus on his professional career.
Bill Kelly was elected at the February 2007 Michigan Republican State Convention to serve a two year term as a member of the elite Michigan Republican State Committee where he represented the concerns of working-class Republicans. He has held a variety of leadership positions with the College Republicans, Young Republicans, and state Michigan Republican Party as well as a statutory member of the Genesee County Republican Party. Bill was elected treasurer of the Michigan Republican Party's 5th district in 2003. He has also served as a Genesee County delegate, State delegate, and precinct delegate.
Kelly has a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Michigan - Flint . While attending The University of Michigan-Flint, he was a contributor to the student newspaper, The Michigan Times . Kelly is a graduate of the Western Michigan University's Haworth College of Business' Masters of Business Administration program, where he served as a representative of the Graduate Students Advisory Committee (GSAC) as well as a senator in the Western Students Association (WSA).