West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice brought his English bulldog Babydog with him to the Republican National Convention stage on Tuesday night.
"I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy, so if Babydog could come out here," Justice said to applause.
The dog was brought out to a seat neat next to Justice's podium.
"Now, as the world watches, you didn't really expect that, did you? But with that being said, let me say just this: She makes us smile and she loves everybody. And how could the message possibly be any more simpler than just that?" he asked Tuesday night to cheers.
Justice, who is running for the Senate this year, proceeded to give a pitch for Donald Trump's presidential campaign and Republican candidates generally. The governor closed his speech by saying Babydog had predicted that the GOP would win both houses of Congress and the White House.
Shortly after the speech, CNN reporter Phil Mattingly interviewed Justice and referred to Babydog as "probably the No. 1 star of the convention up until this point."
Babydog's background
Babydog was a gift from Justice's children in 2019. According to Justice, she got her name as a puppy because he would walk around saying, "Where'd that baby dog go?'"
“And so we named her Babydog.”
The English bulldog quickly became a fixture in West Virginia politics, not only sitting beside the governor at official events but starring in a “Do it for Babydog” COVID-19 vaccination campaign.
Justice frequently talks about Babydog, including her love for Wendy's chicken nuggets.
She also has her own Twitter account, which mapped her journey to Milwaukee.
.@GOPConvention see you soon! pic.twitter.com/PChgEu9twL
— Babydog Justice (@BabydogJustice) July 16, 2024