Charts & Graphs

Dark Horse Candidates

Long-shot electoral contenders.

  • Gray rhinoceros.

    Cacareco

    1959: São Paulo, Brazil

    Campaign: A four-year-old female black rhinoceros on loan from the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, Cacareco won more than 100,000 write-in votes for a seat on the city council, ten times more than the most successful human candidate.

    Result: Although election officials prohibited Cacareco from taking office, Brazilians still use the term Voto Cacareco as shorthand for a protest vote.

  • A red cartoon figurine.

    The Honorable Pulvapies

    1967: Picoazá, Ecuador

    Campaign: In the lead-up to a mayoral election, the foot-powder company Pulvapies ran an ad campaign and distributed leaflets endorsing the Honorable Pulvapies, a suit-wearing cartoon foot.

    Result: The town’s population, numbering around four thousand, elected Pulvapies mayor “by a clear majority,” according to a contemporary wire report.

  • Photograph of a pig at the center of a crowd outdoors.

    Pigasus

    1968: United States

    Campaign: While camped outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the Youth International Party (aka the Yippies) announced their presidential candidate, a 145-pound pig named Pigasus.

    Result: Although Pigasus’ campaign fizzled out after he and several of his supporters were taken into custody for disorderly conduct, the Yippies threw him an honorary “in-hog-uration” to compete with Nixon’s swearing-in five months later.

  • Photograph of a turkey puppet wearing a colorful shirt

    Dustin the Turkey

    1992: Ireland

    Campaign: The singing puppet Dustin the Turkey appeared on the Irish TV network RTÉ to announce his candidacy for parliament, representing the Poultry Party.

    Result: Dustin’s name failed to appear on the ballot, which he attributed to corruption and fear on the part of the political establishment. Dustin later competed in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, reaching the semifinal round.

  • Photograph of a goat drinking a bottle of beer.

    Clay Henry

    1986: Lajitas, Texas

    Campaign: To protest a Houston businessman’s bid for mayor of their tiny town (population: 50), locals nominated a goat named Clay Henry.

    Result: After taking office, Henry spent his term guzzling Lone Star beer. Upon the goat’s death in the early 1990s, the town turned the position of mayor into a hereditary appointment. Henry’s son, grandson, and great-grandson have since held the office.

  • Photograph of a Siamese cat with orange eyes

    Barsik

    2015: Barnaul, Russia

    Campaign: After a series of corruption cases in the Siberian city, the regional governor and city council convened to appoint a new mayor. Residents, seeking to express their frustration with being shut out of the process, set up an unofficial online poll to nominate a mayor.

    Result: With more than 91 percent of the vote, a Scottish Fold named Barsik defeated six human rivals. The following year Barsik announced via social media his intention to challenge Vladimir Putin in the next presidential election.