Politics

Political Celebrity ‘Babydog’ Banned from Senate Floor

INJUSTICE

Sen. Jim Justice’s popular pooch was not allowed to join him for orientation.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his dog, Babydog, on stage during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in July.
Joshua Lott/The Washington Post

Incoming West Virginia Sen. Jim Justice’s bulldog, Babydog, was blocked from being on Senate floor during orientation on Tuesday, Axios reported. Justice, who is currently the Republican governor of West Virginia, has made a name for his five-year-old, 60-pound dog by bringing her to events. Senate floor staff informed Justice that only service dogs are allowed after Senator-elect Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) “was first to raise the question in jest,” according to Axios. As the rule seems to only apply to the Senate floor, Babydog will still be able to roam the halls and hang out in her owner’s office, as many other congressional dogs do. The bulldog famously took the stage at the Republican National Convention in July to chants of “Babydog!” “I don’t know about you,” Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana said in his convention speech. “But thank god Babydog is a Republican.”

Read it at Axios