A Minnesota dog has been elected mayor three times.

The 9-year-old Great Pyrenees was first elected as a write-in candidate in the small town of Cormorant, Minnesota, in 2014, beating out his the human competition.

"Three years ago, it happened by accident; it was a write-in vote. You pay a dollar and you can vote," said David Rick, Duke's owner.

"How (did) you feel after that election?" a reporter asked Richard Sherbrook, a former mayoral candidate who ran against Duke.

"Well, it was really depressing at first, but I'm getting over it real good," he told TV3. Sherbook later said that he would "back the dog 100 percent," and that Duke is "a sportsman and he likes to hunt -- he'll really protect the town."

Duke's honorary position in a town of about 1,000 people isn't completely unprecedented in the state. Another small town in the state -- Dorset, Minnesota -- has had some unconventional mayors as well: preschool-age children.

Rick told WDAY that Duke won the election in a landslide.

"Everybody voted for Duke, except for one vote for his girlfriend, Lassie," he said.

"I don't know who would run against him because he's done such great things for the community," said Cormorant resident Karen Nelson, who added that the dog stays " pretty busy working at the farm."

About the Author

Keep Reading

As the violence at Macon State Prison has intensified, so, too, have the calls for ambulance service. And because of those calls, the county now finds itself dealing with an unexpected and costly burden: more than $100,000 in unpaid bills. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Featured

People join a rally in support for U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees on Tuesday afternoon, April 1, 2025, at the Atlanta headquarters after federal cuts triggered significant layoffs. (Photo: Jenni Girtman for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Jenni Girtman