Musician elected to Congress

A musician who wrote the 1970s pop tunes “Still the One” and “Dance With Me” toppled a longtime Republican congresswoman after a campaign that merged his minor-league celebrity with anti-Iraq war momentum and a clip on YouTube of an angry outburst by his opponent.

John Hall, who founded the band Orleans and produced albums for Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt and Linda Ronstadt, ousted incumbent Rep. Sue Kelly on Tuesday.

Kelly, 70, had represented New York’s 19th Congressional district, in the heart of the Hudson Valley, since being swept into office as part of the 1994 GOP revolution.

Former President Clinton headlined a campaign rally with Hall last week and noted the candidate’s progress.

“When he filed [for the race], it must have looked like a fool’s errand,” Clinton said. “But he’s a musician, so he has to believe in the impossible....”