Duke the Dog Mayor: How a Minnesota Dog Won Four Consecutive Terms
A Great Pyrenees named Duke became the honorary mayor of a tiny Minnesota community in 2014 after residents paid US$1 to vote for him. He went on to win four consecutive terms, turning a quirky festival contest into one of Cormorant’s best-known traditions. More than a decade later, that tradition is still alive. But the […]
In 2014, a Great Pyrenees named Duke was elected honorary mayor of Cormorant, a tiny Minnesota community, after residents paid a $1 fee to vote for him. Duke went on to win four consecutive terms at the Cormorant Daze festival until his retirement in 2018 at age 13 due to health issues. The election was not a conventional municipal contest; Duke did not have governing powers, and the $1 fee raised funds for the community.
The small size of the community, with 1,388 residents in the 2020 census, helped make an informal election into a recurring local attraction. Duke's first inauguration involved grooming and dressing him for the ceremony, with township chairman Steve Sorenson administering an oath and asking Duke to respond by barking or panting.
The new mayor received a year's supply of kibble from a local pet-food business. Duke's role as honorary mayor soon became a part of Cormorant's identity, with the Great Pyrenees appearing at community events and parades. Duke's reign ended in 2018, but the tradition returned in 2024 with another Great Pyrenees, Khaleesi Sherbrooke, winning the election with 76.5% of the vote and being inaugurated during Cormorant Daze on August 17.
The succession did not last, as a mini Highland cow named Bobby won the 2026 election with over 60% of the vote.
Written by urgent.news from Colombia One's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
