Jump to content

Non-human electoral candidate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Limberbutt)

The billy-goat Ioiô on display in the Museum of Ceará in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.

Non-human electoral candidates have been found in a number of countries. Often, the candidacies are a means of casting a protest vote or satirizing the political system. At other times it is simply done for entertainment value.

Electoral regulations may explicitly require candidates to be human (or equivalent wording), or they may require candidates to do things which animals cannot reasonably do (such as sign their names legibly on legal forms); most constituencies require candidates to be of the age of a legal adult, which eliminates many animals whose life expectancies usually make them too young to ever qualify. On some occasions, however, animals have been accepted as candidates, and they have even won office.

Notable examples

[edit]

Elected to office

[edit]
Stubbs, former honorary mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska

Candidates

[edit]
A statue of Macaco Tião, a candidate for mayor of Rio de Janeiro, is exhibited at the Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden
Dustin the Turkey, a puppet, received thousands of votes in Ireland's 1997 presidential election.
  • Snæfellsjökull, a glacier in the Snæfellsnes peninsula in Iceland, is currently a nominee to run in the 2024 Icelandic presidential elections.[23]
  • The entire planet Earth was nominated by The Planetary Democrats as a candidate in the 2024 European Parliament elections.[24][25]
  • Cacareco, a rhinoceros at the São Paulo zoo, was a candidate for the 1958 city council elections with the intention of protesting against political corruption.[26] Electoral officials did not accept Cacareco's candidacy, but she eventually won 100,000 votes, more than any other party in that same election (which was also marked by rampant absenteeism). Today, the term voto Cacareco (Cacareco vote) is commonly used to describe protest votes in Brazil. Cacareco's candidacy inspired the Rhinoceros Party of Canada, nominally led by the rhinoceros Cornelius the First.
  • Pigasus the Immortal was a boar hog that the Yippies nominated as a candidate in the 1968 U.S. presidential election.[citation needed]
  • Mr. Potato Head, a toy manufactured by Hasbro, received four votes in Boise, Idaho's mayoral election in 1985.[27]
  • A cat named Morris was a candidate for mayor of Xalapa, Mexico, in 2013.[28][29]
  • In 1989, regional council boundaries were redrawn in New Zealand, with an emphasis on catchments being connected. These revised maps made Whangamōmona part of the Manawatū-Whanganui Region. Residents wanted to continue to be part of the Taranaki Region, and on 1 November 1989, they responded by declaring themselves the "Republic of Whangamomona" at the first Republic Day. At every Republic Day, they vote to either keep the seating President or to vote in a new one. Since 1999, they have had Billy Gumboot the Goat (1999–2001) and Tai the Poodle (2003–2004), the latest being Murt "Murtle the Turtle" Kennard (2005–2015).[citation needed]
  • In 1987, Silvio, a chimpanzee from Córdoba, Argentina, was put as a provincial deputy candidate.[30]
  • Tião, a bad-tempered chimpanzee, was put forward by the fictional Brazilian Banana Party (Partido Bananista Brasileiro, actually the satirical group Casseta & Planeta) as a candidate for the Rio de Janeiro mayoralty in 1988. The campaign's slogan was "Vote monkey – get monkey" (because people were tired of voting for one platform and then seeing the elected officials implementing another one). There is no official counting, because all votes were recorded as "null", but it's estimated that Tião received over 400,000 votes, coming third.[31][32][33]
  • New Zealand's McGillicuddy Serious Party entered a goat in a local Waiheke Island election, but their attempt to have a hedgehog stand for Parliament was unsuccessful.[citation needed]
  • In 2001, a Dachshund called Saucisse (Sausage) was a candidate for municipal elections in Marseille, France. He won 4% of the vote. Eight years later, in 2009, he participated in the third season of Secret Story, the French version of Big Brother. He entered the house on Day 36. His secret is that he was a candidate in the Marseille mayoral race. To protect his secret, he entered the house with the nickname "Secret".[citation needed]
  • Molly the Dog, a dachshund from Oklahoma, named as a candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.[34]
  • United States TV host and California councilmember Charlotte Laws had a chicken named Mae Poulet who ran for vice president on the Bully ticket in the 2012 election.[35]
  • Hank the Cat, a Maine Coon from Northern Virginia, ran against Tim Kaine and George Allen for Virginia's Senate seat in 2012. He earned third place in the state, with nearly 7,000 votes.[36]
  • Tuxedo Stan, a cat from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, was a mayoral candidate in the 2012 municipal elections[37] representing the Tuxedo Party, a political movement aimed to improve the welfare of felines in the Halifax Regional Municipality, "because neglect isn't working". He has been endorsed by celebrities including Anderson Cooper.[38]
  • A fire hydrant ran for election multiple times 2004–2008 at the University of British Columbia, including a position on the Board of Governors, coming within 6% of being elected.[39][40]
  • Dona de Chocolate, a mascot for Mister Donut in El Salvador, ran as a presidential candidate during 2014 as part of an advertising campaign called "Partidona" to promote the 2x1 promotion during September. Dona de Chocolate challenged the other candidates to a debate in a Mister Donut restaurant in El Platillo Merliot, which was unsuccessful. Dona de Chocolate also went to the Asamblea Legislativa to give a speech, but it was also unsuccessful. Dona de Chocolate appeared as a cameo in an episode of Capitán Centroamerica series by Puya Web.[41]
  • AI Steve, a candidate based on generative AI, ran as an MP candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency during the 2024 UK general election. The policy of the candidate was based on automatic summarization of feedback provided by the voters. Businessman Steve Endacott, provided the platform and registered to be the in-person representative of AI Steve in actual parliamentary sessions in case it wins.[42] In the election, AI Steve finished last of eight candidates with 179 votes, a share of 0.3%.[43]

Attempted or withdrawn candidates

[edit]

Those that were not on the ballot, in chronological order.

Cosmic horror and 2016 US presidential candidate Cthulhu, on the campaign trail
  • Campaigns for fictional elder horror Cthulhu for President have been produced for all United States presidential elections since 1996, as well as for elections in Spain and Poland.[46][47]
  • United States film maker Michael Moore attempted to get a potted ficus tree onto the ballot as a candidate for United States Representative in 2000.[48]
  • Giggles the Pig was set to run for mayor of Flint, Michigan, in 2015.[49] Lawyer Michael Ewing started "Giggles the Pig for Flint Mayor" as a write-in campaign after a city clerk's office error threatened to keep all candidates' names off the August, 2015 mayoral primary election. Ewing said the candidacy "sought to draw more attention to the mayoral race, better educate voters about their choices and encourage residents to demand more of elected officials." Giggles attracted many online fans, while the "other candidates for mayor were less amused." The write-in campaign was cancelled after state officials fixed the mistake and allowed four candidates' names to appear on the ballot, and the race had become "No longer an even playing field" for Giggles. Giggles' Facebook page was then to be used to share good news stories about Flint.[50]
  • Limberbutt McCubbins, a male cat from Kentucky, was registered with the Federal Election Commission as a Democratic candidate for the 2016 United States presidential election.[51] It was brought to national attention by The Rachel Maddow Show[52] and the cat's candidacy was endorsed by Jezebel.[53] Politifact rated the legitimacy of Limberbutt McCubbins' candidacy as "half true", noting that the FEC did not formally consider the cat a candidate because he hadn't spent or received $5,000.[54] Emilee McCubbins, who owns the cat, and Isaac Weiss, who came up with the idea, said they wanted to encourage reform of the FEC, stating that it only took "20 minutes" to register as a candidate, and that they did not even require a social security number. They also wanted to encourage voter registration, particularly young voters.[55]
  • Crawfish B. Crawfish is a crawfish from Louisiana. Crawfish's campaign for the United States presidency began on Facebook on a page titled "Can This Crawfish Get More Supporters Than Bobby Jindal?",[56] created on May 31, 2015. The campaign began to receive media attention after Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal announced his bid for the 2016 Presidential race. After Jindal's announcement, Crawfish received media attention from outlets such as The Huffington Post,[57] Salon magazine,[58] Bustle,[59] and popular Louisiana-based publications NOLA Defender[60] and Gambit.[61] Crawfish officially registered with the Federal Election Commission, running for a non-listed party, on July 2, 2015.[62] Crawfish has stated his support of education, gender equality, same-sex marriage, and Game of Thrones, while criticizing the strict bi-partisan system.[63]
  • Harambe was falsely identified as receiving thousands of write-in votes during the 2016 US Presidential Election. Despite a lack of evidence, the claim attracted significant social media attention.[64]

Other non-elected posts

[edit]

Folklore and pop culture

[edit]

The notion of animals being elected to office has often been the subject of parody and folklore.

Thomas Love Peacock's 1817 novel Melincourt featured an orangutan as a parliamentary candidate.

In 1976, Marvel Comics announced that their character Howard the Duck would run in that year's election for the U.S. presidency.[66]

Bloom County's Bill the Cat was the Meadow Party's candidate for president in 1984.

Rita Mae Brown's detective cat Mrs. Murphy ran for president in the 2012 mystery novel Sneakie Pie for President.

The 2013 Black Mirror episode "The Waldo Moment" explores the concept of a cartoon character electoral candidate. Several news reports, including one by Chris Cillizza, political reporter for The Washington Post, compared the 2016 Donald Trump political campaign to the episode;[67][68] later, in September 2016, episode writer Charlie Brooker also compared the Trump campaign to The Waldo Moment and predicted Trump would win the 2016 election.[69][70]

The nerd-folk song "President Snakes" from the 2015 album of the same name by the music duo The Doubleclicks explores how five snakes run as one electoral candidate.[71][72][73][74][75][76]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bode Ioiô, ilustre retirante da seca de 1915, completa um século da chegada a Fortaleza". tribunadoceara.uol.com.br. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "Boston Curtis". Time Magazine. September 26, 1936. Archived from the original on March 12, 2008. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ "The Milton Mule". Museum of Hoaxes. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  4. ^ snopes (November 7, 2015). "Foot Powder Ecuador Election Result : snopes.com". Snopes. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  5. ^ "Meet Lajitas' Mayor: Clay Henry III". www.nationalparkreservations.com. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Sunol, California / Dogmocracy / Bosco The Dog | Vanderbilt Television News Archive". tvnews.vanderbilt.edu.
  7. ^ "Bay Area's First Canine Mayor Memorialized". NBC Bay Area. San Jose, California: NBCUniversal. December 17, 2008. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "Rabbit Hash, Kentucky | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation". www.achp.gov.
  9. ^ Yan, Holly (July 17, 2012). "Mayor of Alaska village walks on four paws". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  10. ^ Campbell, Colin (November 4, 2014). "A Cat Mayor Just 'Announced' His Campaign For Senate In Alaska". Business Insider. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  11. ^ Claire Trageser (May 26, 2019). "This California Town Has a Dog for a Mayor and You Can Request a Meeting With Him". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  12. ^ "Mayor Max of Idyllwild, California". mayormax.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Duke The Dog Elected Mayor In Cormorant, Minn". August 13, 2014.
  14. ^ "Dog becomes mayor of Minnesota town". BuzzFeed. August 13, 2014.
  15. ^ Duke the dog. Mayor of Cormorant MN. YouTube. August 16, 2014. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  16. ^ "Duke the Dog Mayor of Cormorant, Minnesota". facebook.com. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  17. ^ ABC News. "Would-Be Mayor Gracious After Losing to Dog". ABC News. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  18. ^ Gutierrez, Lisa (July 26, 2018). "Cat defeats 13 dogs, a peacock and goat to become mayor of this Michigan town". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  19. ^ "Goat from Hildene elected mayor of Fair Haven". The Berkshire Eagle. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  20. ^ "Goat elected as honorary mayor sworn in for first term". Associated Press. March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "Big Dog Wearing Tie Becomes Mayor of Small Colorado Town". people.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  22. ^ Rutten, Kyle. "Mayor of Georgetown: Parker the Snowdog". Visit Georgetown. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  23. ^ "Snæfellsjökul fyrir forseta | president". Kjósum jökul. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  24. ^ "2024 European election: 59 lists of nominated candidates submitted within the prescribed time limit - The Federal Returning Officer". www.bundeswahlleiterin.de. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  25. ^ "The Planetary Democrats". Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  26. ^ "Memória Viva apresenta: O Cruzeiro – 24 de outubro de 1959 – Cacareco agora é Excelência". memoriaviva.com.br. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  27. ^ "Most votes for a toy in a political campaign". Guinness World Records. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  28. ^ Tuckman, Jo (June 19, 2013). "Cat stands for election in Mexican city". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  29. ^ Strapagiel, Lauren (June 20, 2013). "Morris the cat joins long legacy of cuddly politicians". Canada.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  30. ^ "El Jardín Zoológico se quedó sin su personaje más querido". buscador.lavoz.com.ar.
  31. ^ "Tião's home page". Archived from the original on May 6, 2006.
  32. ^ "Mau humorado, macaco Tião completa 31 anos" [Grumpy, monkey Tião turns 31 years old] (in Portuguese). January 16, 1994. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  33. ^ "Zoológico do Rio completa 60 anos nesta sexta" [Rio Zoo turns 60 this Friday] (in Portuguese). March 18, 2005. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  34. ^ "Molly the Dog 2008". mollythedog2008. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  35. ^ "A hen in the White House? Just the ticket – LA Daily News". Dailynews.com. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  36. ^ Benjamin R. Freed (November 9, 2012). "Hank the Cat Claws His Way to Third Place in Virginia Senate Race". DCist. Archived from the original on August 24, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  37. ^ "Tuxedo Stan, cat, running for mayor of Halifax (video)". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  38. ^ "Anderson Cooper endorses Tuxedo Stan for mayor". CTV News. September 25, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  39. ^ "Fire Hydrant the Politician". Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  40. ^ "Last Words: In which we nitpick the AMS elections". The Ubyssey. January 16, 2013. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
  41. ^ "¡Dona Presidente!, la campaña que salvó a Míster Donut de una crisis financiera". September 12, 2019.
  42. ^ Elliott, Vittoria (June 11, 2024). "There's an AI Candidate Running for Parliament in the UK". Wired. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  43. ^ "UK general election results in full: Labour wins in landslide". The Guardian. July 5, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  44. ^ "Nobody For President". Museum of Hoaxes.
  45. ^ Garnick, Darren (January 6, 2012). "Hillary Cried Here: An Unconventional Tourist Guide to the N.H. Primary". Tourist Guide to the N.H. Primary. The Atlantic. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  46. ^ Watson, Zebbie (June 15, 2016). "Who Is Behind Cthulhu For America?". Inverse. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  47. ^ Fradin, Andréa (November 21, 2016). "Qui se cache derrière la campagne Cthulhu for America ?". L'Obs (in French). Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  48. ^ "Plant candidate". Archived from the original on January 19, 2008.
  49. ^ Sutton, Scott (May 7, 2015). "No laughing matter: Giggles the pig is running for mayor in Michigan". Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  50. ^ Steve Carmody (June 10, 2015). "Giggles the Pig no longer running for Flint mayor". Associated Press.
  51. ^ "Committee/Candidate Details". fec.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  52. ^ Maddow, Rachel (May 8, 2015). "Transcript". The Rachel Maddow Show. NBC News. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  53. ^ Merlan, Anna (July 9, 2015). "Jezebel Endorses Limberbutt McCubbins, Cat, for President". Jezebel. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  54. ^ Qiu, Linda (July 14, 2015). "Can a cat run for president?". Politifact.com.
  55. ^ Arnold, Joe (July 20, 2015). "Demo-Cat Campaign for President Meows The Time". WHAS-TV.
  56. ^ "Can This Crawfish Get More Supporters Than Bobby Jindal?". Can This Crawfish Get More Supporters Than Bobby Jindal?. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  57. ^ "Louisiana Would Rather Vote for a (Mud)Bug Than Bobby Jindal". Huffington Post. July 1, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  58. ^ White Jr., Lamar (July 1, 2015). "Bobby Jindal has no shame: This charlatan belongs nowhere near the White House". Salon. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  59. ^ Siese, April (June 25, 2015). "The Crawfish Aiming For More Supporters Than Bobby Jindal Is My New Best Friend". Bustle. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  60. ^ Leonard, Lucy. "Crawfish '16". NOLA Defender. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  61. ^ Woodward, Alex (July 8, 2015). "Get to know the crawfish running for president". Gambit. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  62. ^ "Committee/Candidate Details". fec.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  63. ^ "About Crawfish". Crawfish 2016. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  64. ^ Evon, Dan (November 9, 2016). "Harambe, A Dead Gorilla, Got Over 15,000 Votes for President of the United States". Snopes. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  65. ^ "Past Loony Officials". The Official Monster Raving Loony Party. June 25, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  66. ^ Howe, Sean (2012). Marvel Comics: The Untold Story. New York: Harper. p. 179. ISBN 9780061992100.
  67. ^ Cillizza, Chris (September 8, 2015). "Donald Trump's troll game of Jeb Bush: A+". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  68. ^ O'Keefe, Meghan (August 7, 2015). "Why You Must Watch 'Black Mirror': "The Waldo Moment" This Weekend". Decider. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  69. ^ Yamato, Jen (September 13, 2016). "'Black Mirror' Creator Predicts Trump Will Be President: 'I Find It F*cking Terrifying'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  70. ^ Wampler, Scott (September 13, 2016). "Black Mirror's Charlie Brooker Predicts Trump Will Win The Election". BirthMoviesDeath.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  71. ^ Granshaw, Lisa (May 13, 2015). "Geek girl band The Doubleclicks have funded their next album on Kickstarter". The Daily Dot. dailydot.com. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  72. ^ Greenwald, David (May 13, 2015). "Boldly Go". OregonLive.com. Advance Digital. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  73. ^ Jusino, Teresa (May 7, 2015). "Things We Saw Today: Gillian Anderson Keeping Hannibal Very Close to Her Heart". The Mary Sue. Abrams Media. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  74. ^ Kohlruss, Craig (October 17, 2015). "Superheroes, monsters and regular citizens mingle at downtown Fresno's Zappcon". The Fresno Bee. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  75. ^ Liu, Jonathan H. (May 12, 2015). "Help The Doubleclicks Fund Their Next Album, 'President Snakes'". GeekDad. geekdad.com. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  76. ^ Pamplin Media Group (June 2, 2015). "Kickstarter gives 'President Snakes' a big lift". Portland Tribune. Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved April 22, 2016.