US News

Dog not allowed to run for governor in Kansas

Toto can’t run for governor of Kansas anymore.

A three-year-old shaggy-haired Vizsla named Angus P. Wooley was left scratching his head after he was denied a chance to get in on the 2018 Kansas governor’s race.

Terran Woolley, of Hutchinson, thought his pup had the leadership qualities needed to make it in the dog-eat-dog world of politics and filled all the necessary paperwork for him to run last week.

“His platform was going to be free Chuckit balls for life,” Woolley told Reuters.

But Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office quickly put an end to that dream.

“Officially we will not allow a dog to run for governor,” Bryan Caskey, director of elections for Kobach’s office, told the Kansas City Star.

“There’s several laws that reference that the governor has to be an individual or a person, and so we are relying on that, and if a dog come in to file for office, we will not allow that,” Caskey added.

The dogged owner thinks Kobach, who is also running for the seat, just can’t take the competition.

“I feel that maybe the secretary of state is scared of facing him in the primary or general election, I guess, since Angus is a Democrat,” Wooley said.

There are no other official requirements for who can become a candidate for governor in Texas.

After six teenagers joined the race, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require candidates be at least 18 and would also make dog, cats and inanimate objects ineligible.

Republican Rep. Blake Carpenter, who introduced the bill, said he was happy the race was relegated to humans.

“I’m glad, I guess, a dog wasn’t allowed onto the ballot because that just… makes no sense,” he said.

With Post wires