There have been several instances of non-human animal candidates holding political office. In the United States, these candidates often hold honorary positions won through unofficial elections, typically in unincorporated areas with no official local government, although there have been cases of animals being elected to legitimate offices.
| Name | Species | Political office | Time in office | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goat | City councilor of Fortaleza | Portuguese: Bode Ioiô (Yoyo Goat) never ran for office, but won via write-in votes. | [1] | |||
| Bosco Ramos | Dog | Mayor of Sunol, California | 1981—1994 | Bosco won the mayoral election in 1981 and served until his death in 1994. A bronze statue of him was erected in Sunol in 2008. | [2] | |
| Boston Curtis | Mule | Republican precinct captain of Milton, Washington | Boston Curtis ran unopposed. His campaign was created as a prank by mayor Kenneth Simmons. | [3] [4] | ||
| Clay Henry | Goat | Mayor of Lajitas, Texas | Clay Henry won an election against a cigar store Indian and a dog. He frequently drank excessive amounts of beer and was killed in a fight by his son, Clay Henry Jr., who succeeded him in office. All mayors of Lajitas have since been part of the Clay Henry political family. | [5] [6] | ||
| Duke | Dog | Mayor of Cormorant, Minnesota | 2015—2018 | Duke was elected in 2015, winning a majority of the votes of the 12 people that lived in Cormorant at the time. He retired in 2018 before dying in 2019. In 2024, Duke was succeeded by Khaleesi Sherbrooke, another dog. | [7] [8] | |
| Goofy Borneman-Calhoun | Dog | Mayor of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky | 1998—2001 | Goofy was the first mayor of Rabbit Hash and died in office. Rabbit Hash's mayoral elections are unofficial, and all of its elected mayors have been dogs. | [9] [10] | |
| Max II | Dog | Mayor-for-life of Idyllwild–Pine Cove, California | 2013—2022 | Idyllwild's first mayor, Max, served from 2012 until 2013 when he died, and Max II completed his term. When he won reelection, he was declared mayor-for-life. After dying in 2022, Max II was succeeded by his cousin, Max III. | [11] [12] | |
| Murfee | Dog | Mayor of Fair Haven, Vermont | 2020—2021 | Murfee the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is a certified therapy dog that succeeded Lincoln the goat, who served as mayor in 2019. Murfee won reelection in 2021. | [13] [14] | |
| Nils Olav | King penguin | Baron of Bouvet Island | Nils Olav, the third penguin with that name, is a Major General of His Majesty the King's Guard and carries the noble rank of baron, ruling over the uninhabited Bouvet Island. Although he serves in the Norwegian Army, he lives in the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland. | [15] | ||
| Parker the Snow Dog | Dog | Mayor of Georgetown, Colorado | 2020—present | Parker, a Bernese Mountain Dog, was elected mayor in 2020. He is also the official mascot of the Loveland Ski Area and works as a therapy dog. | [16] [17] | |
| Stubbs | Cat | Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska | 1997—2017 | Stubbs won the 1997 mayoral election as a write-in candidate and remained in office until his death in 2017. He was succeeded by another cat named Aurora. | [18] [19] [20] | |
| Tucker Joyce | Dog | Mayor of Omena, Michigan | 2009—2012 | Tucker Joyce was Omena's first mayor. The town holds triennial mayoral elections, and all of its elected mayors have been animals. | [21] |