By now, you have probably seen that the star of Tuesday’s RNC programming was not a human Republican but Babydog—a 62-pound English bulldog who belongs to West Virginia governor Jim Justice. Babydog loves Wendy’s chicken nuggets, hates celery, and is known as a retail politician of astonishing gifts. During Justice’s brief address, she took the stage while the crowd chanted her name, then listened attentively as her devoted father shouted various adoring things about the Trump family.
Sorry, DC politicos, but I was early to Babydog. I’ve loved her for years—ever since Jim Justice trotted her out as the face of West Virginia’s Covid vaccination campaign, the “Do It For Babydog” vaccine sweepstakes. I have followed her subsequent rise with great interest: the speech where Justice held Babydog’s butt aloft to the entire state legislature and told the state’s critics to “kiss her heinie.” The time that she almost predicted the score of the Super Bowl. The recent mini-scandal when an artist sneaked the dog’s likeness into a taxpayer-funded historical mural inside the state capitol.
Then, in May, I experienced a peak life moment by conning my employer into sending me to Charleston, West Virginia, to meet Babydog. I spent a few hours at the governor’s mansion, sitting on the carpet with the First Dog of West Virginia as she swanned around, yapped at some fried chicken, slobbered on my leg, and charmed me to a somewhat alarming degree. The result was a 3,800-word story about Babydog’s rise to fame and her political value for Jim Justice, which you can (and should) read here.
You should read it because Babydog is funny, but also because she’s important. Babydog is a canny and effective political asset; in all my reporting, nobody could name a pet so woven into a politician’s brand. Also, Babydog is of interest to the capital region because she now seems headed for Washington. Justice is on a glide path to flipping Joe Manchin’s US Senate seat, and the dog follows him wherever he goes—sometimes even into the shower, as Justice told me by phone in May.
Come January, then, Babydog will probably be bopping around the Capitol complex, riding in her iconic yellow utility wagon, or napping on the carpet of Justice’s Senate office. She’s a clear contender for DC’s sweetest political pet. (I’ve never met Commander Biden, but I hear he has great teeth.) Anyway, here are some pictures from my unforgettable night with Babydog. Trust me, you’ll want to meet her once she’s here.
