Political Candidate
Limberbutt McCubbins
2010–
A tabby cat from Kentucky who was officially registered with the U.S. Federal Election Commission as a 2016 presidential candidate — a self-styled 'Demo-cat'.
- Owner
- The McCubbins family, Louisville, Kentucky
- Years
- 2010–
- Known for
- Political Candidate
Limberbutt McCubbins is a tabby cat from Louisville, Kentucky, who in 2015 became one of the more memorable footnotes of the 2016 United States presidential race. Two high-school seniors, friends of the cat's owner, filed the paperwork that registered him with the Federal Election Commission as a candidate for president, and to the family's surprise the FEC duly sent back an email confirming the registration.
Running as a Democrat — or, as the campaign preferred, a 'Demo-cat' — Limberbutt campaigned on the gently absurd slogan 'Together, we cat', complete with home-made buttons and posters. He was one of several hundred long-shot and joke candidates the FEC registered that cycle, a list that also included names like Deez Nuts, and his candidacy became a light-hearted talking point for outlets from ABC News to HuffPost, and a fact-check from PolitiFact on whether a cat could actually run for president (it cannot legally hold the office).
The campaign never accepted donations and was, of course, never a serious bid for the White House. But Limberbutt captured a very human affection for the idea of a cat in charge, and he remains a fondly remembered example of the internet age's habit of turning an ordinary house cat into a household name.