If you aren’t satisfied with any of the four candidates vying for Tallahassee’s top elected post, there’s now a new mayoral candidate for you to consider.
Arnie, a lovable basset hound, is wagging his way into the mix.
The 6-year-old dog is launching his campaign just a month out from the August primary as an unofficial write-in candidate, representing the “Hound Party.” (Bear in mind, a vote for the pooch won’t count, in part because dogs can’t hold office; more on that later.)
He has his nose to the ground and ears wide open to the public’s concerns. “My friends are going, ‘Lee you’re crazy,'” his owner Lee Meadows said. “I’m going to have fun with it.”
Arnie the basset hound, who is running as a write-in candidate for mayor of Tallahassee, stands in front of City Hall for a portrait Friday, July 17, 2026.
Meadows, a longtime Tallahassee attorney, said he felt like there wasn’t much of a choice between the slate of mayoral candidates. So about six weeks ago, he started developing the idea for Arnie’s campaign after he learned how much the city’s top brass makes each year.
‘We need…a sense of humor’
If he was younger, Meadows said he would’ve run for mayor himself. He said he’s hoping to bring a little levity to the tense political atmosphere that permeates local politics.
“We need to insert a sense of humor into everything,” he said.
But even still, Arnie’s campaign isn’t just about the fun and dogging the political establishment.
The goal is for Arnie’s platform to discuss issues that voters care about and want to hear about, and just maybe, it’ll get Arnie’s human opponents to address these concerns, Meadows said.
“Candidates today just talk in such generalities,” he said. “Voters want specifics, and hopefully, Arnie will do this.”
Voters can expect to see videos of Arnie talking about hard hitting community issues – like property taxes and the sales of the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare hospital and Capital City Country Club – on social media generated by artificial intelligence.
Meadows said he’s already had people tell him they’re voting for Arnie or that Arnie is the best person for the job: “I think it just shows a lot of the dissatisfaction with the candidates we’ve got.”
While the date isn’t set yet, Arnie will be hosting a pet-friendly campaign launch party with all donations going directly to the local animal shelter or other animal-focused causes.
“It’s going to be a fun campaign,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll make some of these other candidates say ‘…hey, maybe I need to address this.'”
Can a dog become Tallahassee’s next mayor?
In short, no.
According to state law, a candidate must be a person who is a resident of the municipality of the local office they’re seeking and qualifies as an elector of the state, meaning qualified to vote.
Arnie the basset hound, who is running as a write-in candidate shakes his head as he stands outside of City Hall on Friday, July 17, 2026.
And this applies to write-in candidates. Write-ins must also qualify under the same standards as those candidates whose names appear on the ballot, as defined by Florida law.
Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley said if Arnie receives votes, they won’t be counted, as he isn’t an official, qualified write-in candidate.
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Dissatisfied with Tallahassee politics? Arnie the dog wants your vote