Elizabeth Warren's dog is campaigning in Iowa while she's stuck in the impeachment trial
President Trump's impeachment trial is keeping senators running for president off the campaign trail for the second week in a row. But Senator Elizabeth Warren has found a creative way to engage voters in her absence: her dog Bailey.
With just a few days until the Democratic caucuses, the golden retriever pup has become the face of Warren's campaign, lining up for selfies in her place.
Former presidential candidate Julián Castro is fighting for Warren in Iowa, as is her husband, Bruce Mann. But Bailey Warren has become her star surrogate in Iowa.
"Bailey is happy to be here," Mann said to a crowd of supporters on Wednesday. "Of course, Bailey is happy to be everywhere, as long as there are people who are willing to pet him. But he particularly likes cold weather and snow, so he is really happy."
On Wednesday, Bailey met 11-year-old Gideon Kidd, who runs the viral account "I've Pet That Dog," which Mann referred to as "a meeting of two social media heavyweights."
"He is campaigning through Iowa to become First Dog," Gideon tweeted along with a selfie of the duo. "The most important issues he wants addressed are more Milkbones and getting rid of student debt."
I pet Bailey Warren. He is an almost 2 year old Golden Retriever. He is campaigning through Iowa to become First Dog. The most important issues he wants addressed are more Milkbones and getting rid of student debt. pic.twitter.com/g3ZWD1bD3Y
— I've Pet That Dog (@IvePetThatDog) January 29, 2020
Mann said Iowans have been begging to meet Bailey for months. "He's had a full day, but he's in his element," he said Wednesday.
Bailey has been following a packed schedule ahead of Monday's caucus that includes Warren's infamous "selfie line," meeting with Iowans during long walks, playing in the snow and standing by his dad's side while he speaks to crowds.
Mann suggested Bailey also brought some good luck to the campaign when he arrived in Iowa. "Within 24 hours, the Des Moines Register had endorsed Elizabeth," he said. "You be the judge: correlation or causation. But I think Bailey is a natural closer."
Warren was one of the first Democratic White House hopefuls to call for Mr. Trump's impeachment last year. Now, she and Senators Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar and Michael Bennet are missing key days on the trail to attend the impeachment trial in Washington.
"Some things are more important than politics," Warren told CBS This Morning. "I took an oath to uphold the Constitution. We are now in only the third impeachment trial in the history of the United States. Of course, I am here."
Iowa appears to be a tight four-way race between Warren, Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is standing in for Sanders in Iowa, and Buttigieg and Biden are at a significant advantage with town halls scheduled all week long.