Even by the standards of American elections, it has been an absolutely bonkers few weeks. A gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a stump speech, prompting him to sport an ear bandage at the Republican National Convention the following week and deliver a half-gripping, half-rambling, record-setting 90 minute speech. Then President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, in a move that is unprecedented in modern politics and kicked off a week of breathless veepstakes, coconut memes, and just, so, so much money. If your head is spinning, you’re not alone.
So, after a week of living through ever-more interesting times, we thought a little silliness might be appreciated, which is why we’ve created the 538 political dogs (or “polidogs”) quiz! Along with being faithful friends, politicians’ dogs can play a genuine political role, acting as a four-legged surrogate or convenient campaign asset for their owners. During his 1944 reelection campaign, former President Franklin Roosevelt scolded Republicans for invoking his Scottish terrier Fala in their attacks against his administration, getting the public on his (and Fala’s) side. While running for vice president in 1952, former President Richard Nixon used a similar tactic to defend himself from allegations of receiving improper gifts — including his “little cocker spaniel dog,” Checkers.
And it’s no wonder why the power of the dog in U.S. politics is significant. The vast majority of Americans (82 percent) said they liked dogs in a recent YouGov survey, and a majority of dog owners said they consider their pet part of their family, see themselves as their dog’s parent and have talked to their dog “at length” in a survey from 2022. In fact, earlier this year, an anecdote from South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem’s biography that detailed the story of her shooting her dog in a gravel pit single-handedly torpedoed any talk of her becoming Trump’s running mate. It also inspired the creation of the bipartisan Congressional Dog Lovers Caucus, an informal group that doesn’t pursue legislation — they just share a love of dogs.
So dogs are not just a silly sideshow; they can hold real political significance. But given the heavy last few weeks, we thought we would lighten the mood with a bit of fun and pay homage to America’s storied history of political pooches with this quiz. Try your paw at matching up these current politicians’ dogs with their owners and reflect a bit on the outsized role our furry friends can play in our politics.