Hank the Cat
Hank the Cat (born August 2001 ; died February 13, 2014 in Springfield , Virginia ) was a Maine Coon cat who lived in Springfield, Virginia. She gained international fame when she was run as a candidate for the United States Senate election in Virginia in 2012 . In the election, according to its owners, Hank was third behind the two candidates Tim Kaine ( Democratic Party ), who emerged victorious, and George Allen ( Republican Party ).
Life
Hank grew up a street cat until he was found and taken to a shelter. There he was soon to be put to sleep, but was freed by a group from the Animal Allies Humane Society , which brokered the hangover to a family in Springfield.
Its rising popularity was due to its owners Matthew O'Leary and Anthony Roberts, who were angry about the election campaign in their state and were bored with the election posters. They first tried to run him for the Virginia Senate , but could not get enough votes. Instead, like other politicians who failed in the first election, he ran for the next higher office, the United States Senate . In fact, he was able to collect the 10,000 signatures that were needed to put him up for election.
Although it was at Hank's candidacy was a joke, had the two owners serious ulterior motives and used the advertising campaign to the animal welfare to raise awareness and to raise money for animal welfare organizations. To make a serious campaign possible, the Roberts received $ 16,000 from various organizations . Hank's policy was described as "Animal Rescue, Spay & Neuter programs, and Positive Campaign Reform" ("Animal rescue, castration and sterilization program and positive campaign reform"). O'Leary and Roberts received help from the Russian artist Svetlana Petrova, who issued a two-dollar bill with Hank as the motif. The election campaign took place mainly on Facebook and Twitter . But Hank also fell victim to a smear campaign aimed at his integrity as a politician, which was posted on YouTube .
The owners claimed that Hank won 7,319 votes, finishing third, but no exact numbers were officially released. This led to both national and international media reports. In the end, O'Leary and Roberts were able to raise $ 60,000, which they made available to animal welfare organizations.
On February 13, 2014, Hank died of cancer in the arms of his owner at the age of 12 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Benjamin R. Freed: Hank the Cat Claws His Way to Third Place in Virginia Senate Race. (No longer available online.) Dcist, November 9, 2012, archived from the original on August 24, 2015 ; Retrieved November 3, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ About Hank. Official website, accessed November 3, 2015 .
- ^ Arin Greenwood: Hank The Cat, Running For Virginia Senate, Setting His Sights On 2016? (PHOTOS). Huffington Post , April 26, 2012, accessed November 3, 2015 .
- ^ A b Samantha Grossman: Hank the Cat Appears to Place Third in Senate Race. Time , November 9, 2012, accessed November 3, 2015 .
- ↑ Arin Greenwood: Goodbye To Hank: Beloved Virginia Cat Who Ran For US Senate Dies. Huffington Post , February 13, 2014, accessed November 3, 2015 .
