You Better Believe It: These Objects Ran For Public Office

Politics can be quite strange. There have been nonhuman electoral candidates, several animals have run for office, including cats, complete with their own platforms, and what’s even more amazing is the fact a number of them were elected and held a public office. Case in point, ever heard of the UK’s Chief Mouser?

Well, it just gets weirder. Believe it or not, several objects ran for public office asking voter’s to put their faith and hope in “them.”

A Puppet

During the 2011 Canadian federal election, a popular puppet named Ed the Sock attempted to run for Prime Minister under the Fed-Up Party. Of course, the party is made up and never registered with Elections Canada. But the party did want to get their point across to voters: the party wanted to “fight apathy and stupidity in the government.” Later on, Ed withdrew from the race, but continues to give honest and sometimes scathing commentary on politics, pop culture, and the news.

A Dog

The mayor of the town of Idyllwild, CA is the dog Max. He has been serving as Mayor for more than 3 years, and continues to do so even today.From the official website (http://www.mayormax.com/):“Max (Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller) was voted into office during an election held on June 11, 12, and 13, 2012 in Idyllwild, and was inaugurated to a one-year term on July 1, 2012. As Idyllwild is a non-incorporated town, it has no human mayor. Idyllwild Animal Rescue Friends (ARF), a non-profit 501(c)(3), sponsored its first-ever election for cats and dogs. Constituents cast their votes via $1 donations each, and all $31,000 of the proceeds benefited ARF. 14 dogs and 2 cats were nominated and ran for office. Max’s popularity moved the people of Idyllwild to appeal to ARF for his continuation in office. On February 9, 2013, ARF announced the extension of his one-year term to a second and final year, ending on June 30, 2014.”

A Tree

In 2000, “ficus fever” hit the country as more than 20 ficus plants challenged incumbents for a seat in Congress. This was led by the ficus tree owned by filmmaker Michael Moore.

Moore’s potted ficus tree ran against Congressman Rodney Frelinghuyse in an effort to break what the plant and owner believed to be a political dynasty. Frelinghuyse was running for re-election unopposed like many other members of Congress.

According to Moore, 95 percent of incumbents were re-elected in the general election. He and his ficus wanted to break the trend by providing voters with another choice.

A Foot Powder

Yes, a foot powder – believe it or not – ran for mayor in a town in Ecuador back in 1967. What’s even more unbelievable is this write-in candidate won the majority of votes!

The Pulvapies foot powder company enticed residents of Picoazà to vote for its product with the following slogan: “Vote for any candidate, but if you want hygiene, vote for Pulvapies.” The election result gave the national electoral tribunal a big headache and left the foot powder company with potential lawsuits.

Although American media picked up this unusual election story, they never bothered to do a follow-up report. The only place where Pulvapies was mentioned post-election is in an ad for a New York business.

A Mannequin

According to the Huffington Post, Barbe-Q is no ordinary mannequin. She not only helped save her owner’s restaurant from recession, but also ran for mayor of Reading, Ohio. Unfortunately, she lost the election. Barbe-Q and her owner, Kenny Tessel, were also forced to separate a few years after as Ken closed KT’s Barbecue to pursue a career as a veterinary technician according to USA Today.

 


Do you know of any weird stories about politics? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page.


Additional Images: Wikipedia

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Juvy Garcia
Juvy Garcia
Juvy is a freelance proofreader, copy editor and writer. A nice little nook with a good book would be ideal. But concocting plans for her next drawing or DIY project will suffice while she's still busy babysitting two daughters. Follow her on Twitter or connect with her on Google+.