French Bulldog Wilbur Wins Mayor’s Race In Rabbit Hole, Kentucky

The winner of a mayoral race in a small Kentucky town normally wouldn’t be national news, but when the new mayor is as cute as Wilbur is, it gets people talking.

Wilbur, of course, is a 6-month-old French bulldog.

Wilbur is getting ready to lead the the town of Rabbit Hash in Boone County, where voters have elected a dog as mayor in every election since 1988. This year Wilbur faced off against the incumbent, a pit bull named Brynneth Paltrow, who won in 2016. Wilbur also ran against a golden retriever named Poppy and a beagle named Jack Rabbit, as well as a rooster and a donkey (there were 17 entrants in the race total).

The election is not limited to the residents of Rabbit Hash, which is only 3.5 acres in size, but voters from around the world must donate $1 to cast a ballot. The money raised in the election goes towards the Rabbit Hash Historical Society, which keeps the town running. This year the election raised a record amount of money for the historical society, $22,985, with Wilbur receiving more than 13,000 votes alone.

The candidates for mayor must live within one hour’s walking distance of the town to be eligible. Wilbur’s owner, 43-year-old Amy Noland, lives just a few miles away.

“He’s done a lot of campaigning,” Noland told CNN. “He’s been all over social media, and he hosted a lot of events.” She told NBC that she wanted Wilbur to be “something positive in the news” while so many negative things are happening in the world.

Wilbur thanked his fans on Facebook after winning the election, “Mayor Wilbur here! I got to meet so many lovely people in the last 24 hours..and I can’t wait to meet so many more. I am humbled and beyond thankful for all of the support from far away and right here at 🏡 home.