A write-in campaign centered on a nine-year-old tabby known as Leo the Cat has surfaced in western Queens, with stickers urging voters to write in "Leo Namuche" for the City Council seat representing District 30.
The campaign, launched in late July by the cat’s owner, Raquel Namuche Pacheo, has targeted neighborhoods including Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, Middle Village, Elmhurst and Rego Park as the city prepares for the Nov. 4 general election to replace term-limited Council member Robert Holden.
Campaign posts identify Leo, described as a cinnamon swirl tabby and a longtime Ridgewood resident, as a protest candidate promoting progressive priorities and criticizing what the campaign called a "conservative chokehold" on the district. The campaign’s Instagram account had about 139 followers and has posted endorsements and slogans urging residents to write in Leo’s name.
Two human candidates appear on the Nov. 4 ballot for the seat. Phil Wong, Holden’s budget director, is running on the Democratic line, while Alicia Vaichunas, another Holden aide, is listed on the Republican and Conservative lines. The incumbent, Holden, is ineligible to seek re-election due to term limits.
A Board of Elections official contacted by a reporter questioned the legality of a nonhuman candidate, saying only a human being who is a U.S. citizen can hold elected office in New York City. The official asked the reporter if they were "intoxicated" when the matter was raised, according to an account of the exchange.
The write-in campaign mixes satirical elements with policy proposals. Campaign material said Leo would "dismantle the conservative chokehold Robert Holden has held on the district" and listed an item that the campaign framed humorously as legislation to institute a citywide mandatory daily afternoon nap. The campaign also criticized a proposal from mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa to use cats to address the city’s rodent problem.
Pacheo, 41, identified herself as a member of the Ridgewood Tenants Union and said the campaign began when she felt no "viable candidates" offered progressive solutions in recent primaries. In a campaign announcement she wrote that the effort sought to "uplift every paw that ever touched the snowy ground in the dead of winter" and to advocate "for the dignity of everyone."
Holden’s district office declined to provide comment from the council member and instead issued a statement through an office mascot identified as a "spokescat," Rocky, who disputed aspects of the campaign and its premises. "Nobody cares about Leo! He doesn’t even live in the district," the office statement said. It added that Leo’s owner was using the animal "against his will for political purposes," language that echoed the blunt tone of several postings opposing the write-in effort.
Write-in campaigns can serve as protest vehicles or symbolic statements in local races, but election officials and legal experts note practical obstacles and eligibility requirements that generally limit serious contention to human candidates who meet residency and citizenship rules. With ballots already set to list the two human candidates, election officials will determine whether votes cast for a nonhuman write-in can be counted under state and city law.
Whether treated as satire, protest or a genuine political statement, the Leo write-in highlights localized frustration and theatrical tactics in a race for a small but diverse Queens district. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 4, when voters will decide between the listed candidates and any write-in names they choose to submit.