A write-in campaign centered on a nine-year-old feline has drawn attention in western Queens, where stickers and social media posts promoting "Leo Namuche" have appeared ahead of the Nov. 4 City Council election. The campaign has become a local curiosity, but a Board of Elections official told a reporter that only a human U.S. citizen can hold elected office in New York City.
Leo, a cinnamon swirl tabby known online as Leo the Cat, was entered as a write-in candidate in late July by his owner, Raquel Namuche Pacheo. The campaign identifies Leo as a lifelong Ridgewood resident seeking the District 30 council seat, which covers Ridgewood, Maspeth, Glendale, Middle Village, Elmhurst and Rego Park.
Two human candidates appear on the Nov. 4 ballot for the open seat being vacated by term-limited moderate Democrat Robert Holden. Phil Wong, Holden’s budget director, is running on the Democratic line, while Alicia Vaichunas, another Holden aide, is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. Leo’s Instagram account counts roughly 139 followers and the campaign has placed stickers around the district urging voters to consider a write-in vote.
Namuche Pacheo, 41, who identifies herself as a member of the Ridgewood Tenants Union and a supporter of mayoral candidate Manuela Mamdani, said the campaign began after she concluded no viable progressive candidates emerged during primary contests. "Ours is a campaign to uplift every paw that ever touched the snowy ground in the dead of winter, for anyone that suffered through the rain without shelter — for the dignity of everyone," reads a campaign announcement posted online.
The campaign has included policy proposals framed in tongue-in-cheek terms, including a pledge to "dismantle the conservative chokehold Robert Holden has held on the district" and an idea to institute a citywide mandatory daily afternoon nap. The campaign has also positioned itself against a public proposal by mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa to use cats to control New York City's rat problem.
A Board of Elections source questioned the legality of a nonhuman candidacy when contacted by a New York Post reporter, asking whether the reporter was "intoxicated" before saying, "we can certainly say that only a human being — specifically a US citizen — can hold elected office in NYC." The city charter and state election law require that elected municipal officeholders be eligible voters and U.S. citizens, prerequisites a nonhuman write-in cannot meet.
Holden declined to respond directly to the write-in campaign and instead provided a statement through his office's humorous "spokescat," Rocky, who called the campaign a publicity stunt and noted that Leo does not live in the district. "Nobody cares about Leo! He doesn’t even live in the district," the statement said.
Campaign organizers acknowledged those legal limits but cast the effort as a form of political protest and community messaging rather than a conventional electoral bid. The novelty candidacy has drawn both local amusement and criticism, and organizers say it aims to raise attention to housing, cost-of-living and other local concerns they say have been sidelined by officials focused narrowly on "quality of life" issues.
Write-in campaigns have a long history in American politics as tools for protest or to register symbolic support, but election officials and legal experts say such campaigns must be grounded in statutory eligibility when they aim at holding office. With the District 30 race featuring two human contenders on the ballot, election officials said eligible voters who wish to participate should consult official ballots and guidance from the Board of Elections.
The Nov. 4 election will determine who will succeed Holden in representing the diverse, mostly residential neighborhoods of District 30. Campaigns for the seat continue to focus on housing affordability, public safety and constituent services as primary issues in the race.