Species | Dog |
---|---|
Breed | English Bulldog |
Sex | Female |
Born | West Virginia, U.S. | October 24, 2019
Owner | Jim Justice |
Weight | 60 lb (27 kg) [1] |
Babydog Justice [2] [3] is an English bulldog owned by Jim Justice, current Governor of West Virginia and Senator-elect. [4] [5] Described by the Washington Post as a "fixture in West Virginia politics", she is known for regularly accompanying Justice at public engagements. [1]
Babydog was a gift to Jim Justice from his children in 2019. According to Justice, she got her name as a puppy after Justice would ask "where did that baby dog go?", and the name stuck. [6] Justice has described Babydog as a "little rascal who looks like a brown watermelon that loves everybody". [7] She loves chicken nuggets from Wendy's and hates celery. [8]
In February 2024, Babydog successfully underwent ligament surgery. [9]
External videos | |
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Speech by Justice at the 2024 Republican National Convention featuring Babydog, C-SPAN |
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Justice used the slogan "Do It for Babydog" to promote a vaccine lottery designed to encourage West Virginians to get vaccinated against COVID-19. [10] [11] [12]
Due to Babydog's frequent appearances with Justice at various press conferences and events within West Virginia, Babydog quickly became a popular figure within West Virginian politics, becoming a sort of meme figure within the state. One particular event in 2022 gained national attention: while delivering the annual State of the State Address, Justice responded to a tweet by actress Bette Midler calling West Virginians "poor, illiterate, and strung out" (in response to Senator and former Governor Joe Manchin's opposition to President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" Plan) by holding Babydog up and telling Midler, as well as his critics, to "kiss her hiney". [13]
In 2023, a waterfall in Babcock State Park was renamed to "Babydog Falls" in her honor. [14] Additionally, in June 2024, a mural depicting West Virginian history was unveiled at the West Virginia State Capitol, and it included a likeness of Babydog. [15] [16] In August 2024, associates of Jim Justice registered a political action committee named the "Babydog's Almost Heaven PAC". [17] [18]
Babydog appeared with Justice on the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention, which garnered cheers from attendees. [1] [19] The New York Times stated that her reception had "an energy generally reserved only for former President Donald J. Trump". [20]
The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the state supreme court of the state of West Virginia, the highest of West Virginia's state courts. The court sits primarily at the West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston, although from 1873 to 1915, it was also required by state law to hold sessions in Charles Town in the state's Eastern Panhandle. The court also holds special sittings at various locations across the state.
Canine influenza is influenza occurring in canine animals. Canine influenza is caused by varieties of influenzavirus A, such as equine influenza virus H3N8, which was discovered to cause disease in canines in 2004. Because of the lack of previous exposure to this virus, dogs have no natural immunity to it. Therefore, the disease is rapidly transmitted between individual dogs. Canine influenza may be endemic in some regional dog populations of the United States. It is a disease with a high morbidity but a low incidence of death.
Robert Booth Goodwin II is an American attorney with Goodwin & Goodwin LLP in Charleston, West Virginia. He served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia from 2010 until 2015. Goodwin was a candidate for Governor of West Virginia in 2016.
The 2014 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of West Virginia, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. This election was the fifth consecutive even-number year in which a senate election was held in West Virginia after elections in 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
The 2016 West Virginia gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 2016, to elect the governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on May 10.
James Conley Justice II is an American businessman and politician who is a United States senator-elect from West Virginia. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the 36th governor of West Virginia since 2017. Justice was once a billionaire, but his net worth had declined to $513.3 million as of 2021. He inherited a coal mining business from his father that included 94 companies, including the Greenbrier, a luxury resort and National Historic Landmark in White Sulphur Springs.
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The 2018 United States Senate election in West Virginia took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of West Virginia, concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. This was one of ten Democratic-held Senate seats up for election in a state won by Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
The 2020 West Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
John A. Hutchison is an American lawyer serving as a justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. He joined the court in 2018 and served as chief justice in 2022.
The U.S. state of West Virginia reported its first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17, 2020, becoming the last state to do so. The patient had shown symptoms for several days prior. On March 29, 2020, the state reported its first COVID-19 death.
The 2024 Republican National Convention was an event in which delegates of the United States Republican Party selected the party's nominees for president and vice president in the 2024 United States presidential election. Held from July 15 to 18, 2024, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it preceded the 2024 Democratic National Convention, which took place from August 19 to 22 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
The 2024 United States Senate election in West Virginia was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of West Virginia. Democratic Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott and Republican Governor Jim Justice were seeking their first term in office. Justice will succeed independent incumbent Joe Manchin, who did not seek a third full term.
The 2024 West Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of West Virginia, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Republican state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey was elected to his first term in office after defeating Democratic Huntington mayor Steve Williams in the general election. Incumbent Republican Jim Justice is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office; he is instead running for the U.S. Senate. First elected in 2016 as a Democrat by 6.8 percentage points, Justice switched parties in August 2017 and won re-election in 2020 as a Republican by 33.3 percentage points. Primary elections took place on May 14, 2024.
The Intermediate Court of Appeals of West Virginia is the intermediate appellate court in West Virginia, created pursuant to the West Virginia Appellate Reorganization Act of 2021.
Kathryn Hess Crouse is an American politician and activist serving as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 13th district. She was appointed by Governor Jim Justice on December 2, 2021. Elected in 2022 for the 19th District, which represents a part of Putnam County.
Michael Honaker is an American politician who served as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from the 46th district. Appointed by Governor Jim Justice in December 2021, he assumed office on January 4, 2022. On August 30, 2023, Honaker resigned from the House of Delegates after his appointment as the inspector general of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.
Cathy Leigh Justice is an American educator serving as the first lady of West Virginia since 2017 and as a member of the West Virginia State Board of Education since 2024.
The 2024 United States House of Representatives elections in West Virginia were held on November 5, 2024, to elect the two U.S. representatives from the State of West Virginia, one from each of the state's two congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate, and various state and local elections. The primary elections are scheduled for May 14, 2024.