Hank the Cat: Virginia's next Senator?

There were many surprises and unexpected turns in the political campaigns during this election season, but perhaps none so much as Hank the Cat’s bid for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat.

Running as a third party candidate, Hank nevertheless made a strong bid. The success of his campaign is shocking for several reasons.

First, Hank ran as a write-in candidate.

Second, Hank is a cat.

We are not being metaphorical. Hank is a literal cat.

And most shocking of all, Hank did not run in one of the states voting to legalize marijuana because honestly, legal weed advocates are an essential demographic in any successful feline’s political campaign. He ran in Virginia.

Hank, a 9-year-old Maine Coon, ran a full-on campaign complete with stickers, shirts and yard signs. He even appeared at public venues to gain publicity for his
campaign. Needless to say, Hank was always a formally dressed politician, never appearing without a bowtie or necktie attached to his collar.

Since the Virginia Board of Elections does not actually count write-in candidates, the votes had to be tallied by the cat’s supporters.

Recent estimates show Hank appears to have earned more than 7,000 votes.

To be fair, Hank raised some excellent points in his television commercial.

Yeah, you read that right. He had a television commercial.

In it, he drew attention to the looming fiscal cliff and the failures of Congress before urging, “It’s OK to vote the humans out. It’s OK to elect Hank for Senate.”

Frankly, we’re kind of onboard with Hank’s campaign platform. It’s not as if the idea of non-human creatures with political power is a new one. Roman Emperor Caligula made his horse a senator. More recently, Alaska did something similar with former Gov. Sarah Palin.

Hank has become something more than a simple third party candidate. He is an icon.
 
He represents our shared frustration and disillusionment with the political system, our desire for cooperation between politicians and our firm belief that the best kind of jokes are the ones taken way too far.

It’s too early to say for certain, but Hank might have our vote in 2016.

And when he’s screening fellow furry vice-presidential candidates, Lil Bub, we’re looking at you.