Senator’s Capitol Hill Party for ‘BabyDog’ the Bulldog Draws Large Crowd - Newsweek

Senator Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican who previously served as the state’s governor, has gone viral online after throwing a large party for his pet bulldog.

The party drew a large crowd on Capitol Hill and backlash online.

Video footage from TMZ reporter Charlie Cotton captures Justice's pooch, BabyDog, resplendent in a cowboy hat and red bandanna, being pulled in a carriage down a Capitol Hill hallway. The hallway was lined with people singing happy birthday, many of whom were dressed in pink bandannas to match BabyDog.

Cotton, speaking from behind the camera, joins in the singing before saying: "Wow, look at this, look at all the attendees for BabyDog’s birthday party."

"All these people going to a dog’s birthday party. Don’t they have jobs?" Cotton says in the video, which has amassed over a million views on X.

A compilation clip of Babydog's birthday festivities was also shared to X, on the account @BabyDogJustice.

The post, captioned "YEE HAW Best day rounding up all my fur-iends!", shows BabyDog's birthday festivities in more detail, including the dog being fed treats, posing for photos in front of a balloon arch and people with special birthday placards.

Justice, who was the richest senator in the country as of 2025, according to Business Insider, shared in a post on X that Babydog’s actual birthday is still a few weeks away.

"Babydog’s birthday isn’t for a few more weeks, but we had to celebrate a little early with our friends on the Hill," Justice wrote.

"She sure does have a lot of folks who love her, and Cathy and I are grateful for every one of them," he added.

Justice did not disclose what he has planned for the dog’s official birthday.

Justice defended the celebration in a statement to Newsweek, pushing back on criticism that it was a misuse of time or public resources.

"Babydog comes with me to the Capitol once every ten days or so and puts smiles on faces every time she does," Justice said. "I am proud to bring a little levity to a place that badly needs it."

Justice also rejected criticism that the event interfered with lawmakers' work or used public funds. "Not a cent of taxpayer money was used to celebrate her birthday," he said. "Without question, Babydog didn't take away from any of the business of the day."

The clip quickly sparked backlash online, including from fellow Republicans. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, wrote in a post on X: "The Senate is doing this instead of passing Voter I.D."

Representative Andrew Clyde, a Georgia Republican, wrote: "The Senate threw a birthday party FOR A DOG while the SAVE America Act and 600+ other House-passed bills sit in limbo. Inexcusable is an understatement."

The MAGA influencer Scott Presler wrote in a post on X: "You aren’t committed to election security or you would be making budget reconciliation 3.0 & the SAVE America Act a priority. We are deeply disappointed in you."

The conservative media account, Libs of TikTok, also joined in the criticism and highlighted the SAVE America Act.

"The Senate is throwing massive parties for a dog’s birthday while refusing to pass the save america act Look at the resources that went into this taxpayer funded event for a senator’s dog So out of touch We just want voter id laws and secure elections," the account wrote in a post viewed over 120,000 times.

The posts from Republican lawmakers and influencers reference the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act—known as the SAVE Act—a piece of legislation backed by allies of President Donald Trump and framed by the White House as part of a broader "SAVE America Act" agenda.

Trump has previously described the bill as his "No. 1 priority in Congress."

The act would institute new citizenship documentation and photo ID requirements for federal elections. It cleared the House of Representatives earlier this year, but has stalled in the Senate and has not yet been enacted.

The November midterms have the potential to alter the rest of the course of Trump’s presidency and could have a significant impact on the advancement of the administration’s legislative priorities if Republicans lose their majorities in either chamber.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 33 seats in the Senate will be up for grabs come November 3.

Justice was elected to the Senate in the 2024 election, and his term runs up until January 3, 2031, so he will not be up for re-election.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Fitzpatrick and Tony Phillips.