There Is a Dog Running for State Prosecutor in Washington

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A dog in Washington state seeks to challenge a longtime political incumbent.

Whatcom County prosecutor David McEachran, a Republican, will face his first opponent in 10 terms. Nyima, a fluffy, adorable Tibetan terrier, is running as a write-in candidate against the state prosecutor. Nyima’s owner, Frank James, a Democrat, family doctor and assistant professor at the University of Washington, said his mission is to have fun and make a statement about Washington politics, according to ABC News:

James believes that if no one ever runs against the current politician, important questions will never get talked about. To James, the strongest way to hold public officials accountable is for people to run against them.
“I was trying to get people to vote and get involved in politics, because young people nowadays are not very interested in it,” James said.
Since he put out word that he would like to see Nyima as a write-in candidate for the next prosecutor, James has gotten many messages from young people telling him they are registering to vote for Nyima.

James is currently staying in the background as Nyima’s official campaign manager/belly rubber/daily walker. According to the Bellingham Herald, Nyima has already earned some key blogger endorsements. Riley Sweeney backed the pooch on his Political Junkie blog.

Sweeney insisted that he did in fact write in Nyima’s name on the primary ballot.
“Nyima might do a superior job to our current county prosecutor,” Sweeney said. “It’s just a sign that we need some change – and a fresh bowl of water.”
Sweeney’s statement showed how influential Nyima’s ideas are. The candidate has yet to speak publicly, but a quote attributed to the canine is gaining circulation.

“Unless you are an evildoer, he will be your best friend,” James told the Bellingham Herald. “If you are an evildoer, look out – his bite is worse than his bark, as it should be.”

No word yet on whether Team Cat plans to run a candidate against Nyima, but my guess is this move by Team Dog probably does not sit well for them. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Team Cat looked up from licking its paw, strutted into the kitchen to sniff a bowl of food that had been poured for it the night before, walked back to the living room and began to aggressively scratch a very expensive ottoman that was right next to the brand new scratching post someone had just purchased for the cat. Oh, it’s so on, Team Dog. It’s so on.

Image via Frank James.

 
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