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By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
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The second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee saw speeches from South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but it was an adorable dog who stole the show.
Babydog, the lovable 4-year-old purebred bulldog sat in her own chair onstage Tuesday alongside his owner West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice who spoke during the night's "Make America Safe Again" theme.
"I know that a lot of you want to meet my little buddy, so if Babydog could come on out here...," Justice said at the beginning of his remarks as Babydog slowly waddled out with a handler.
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"Now as the world watches, you didn't really expect that, did you?" Justice asked the crowd. "But with that being said, let me just say just this: She makes us smile, and she loves everybody, and how could the message possibly be any more simpler than just that?"
Near the end of his speech, Justice shared some of "Babydog's predictions" for the country.
"Babydog says we'll retain the house, the majority in the House. We're going to flip the United States Senate overwhelmingly. We're going to elect Donald J. Trump and JD Vance in November."
Justice closed with this, "And Babydog says, 'What is the reason that she knows why we're going to win?' And the answer is one thing: because we're worth it."
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Who Is Babydog Justice?
After his remarks on Tuesday, Justice spoke to CNN about how his daughters gave him Babydog as a gift when she was 10 weeks old. He talked about how the now 4-year-old pup loves to "make people smile." Babydog sat quietly by her dad's side during the interview. The 62-pound bulldog had no comment.
Babydog has her own X account with a bio that states, "My favorite things are @JimJusticeWV, Wendy's nuggets, riding shotgun in dad's Suburban, and napping."
She is no stranger to the political trial as Babydog became the official mascot of Justice's 2021 statewide Do It For Babydog sweepstakes which encouraged West Virginians to get the COVID-19 vaccine for a chance to win pickup trucks, rifles, and lawnmowers. Justice spent over $23 million on the campaign, which some criticized.
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"If you won't do it for me, if you won't do it for your family, you've got to get vaccinated for Babydog," Justice said at the time. "She wants you vaccinated so badly."
Since then, Babydog has accompanied Justice at many of his appearances. In 2022, actress Bette Midler made a tweet referring to West Virginians as "poor, illiterate, and strung-out" as a dig at Sen. Joe Manchin. At the end of State of the State address, Justice held Babydog backward to the camera, exposing her behind, and saying, "Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there: Kiss her heinie."
Follow Newseek's coverage of the RNC Day 3 here.
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