Read this article in Spanish at CNNMexico.com
Story highlights
Campaign posters show a cat running for mayor in one Mexican city
Morris the cat has won a devoted social media following
Supporters say his popularity shows growing frustration with corrupt politicians
Voters in the eastern Mexican city of Xalapa should be tired of voting for rats, one campaign slogan suggests.
The candidate behind it should know. He’s a cat.
The black and white feline named Morris has popped up on campaign posters and garnered a devoted social media following, with more than 100,000 likes on his Facebook page.
Morris’ name isn’t on the official ballot for the city’s July 7 mayoral election. But his supporters say his growing popularity shows widespread frustration with corrupt politicians, known as rats in local lingo.
The surreal tale of a cat campaigning first picked up steam with local media coverage, then quickly caught the eye of national and international media.
Now, Morris has a website featuring a slick campaign video telling his story, and a red and blue picture of the cat that looks like the well-known portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama that became popular during his 2008 campaign.
“Facing the quantity of rats that lurk in these posts,” the feline’s Facebook page says, “only a cat can bring order.”
His campaign platform? He “promises nothing more than the rest of the candidates: To rest and to frolic.”
CNNMexico.com contributed to this report.