Republicans Are Out Of Touch, Says GOP Senator Who Threw Capitol Hill B-Day Bash For His Dog

Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia hosted a birthday party for his bulldog, Babydog, on Capitol Hill earlier in September.

The event was well attended, with dozens of politicians, staffers and journalists joining to celebrate Babydog’s seventh birthday. Wearing a cowboy hat and red bandana, she was rolled down a hall in a custom baby carriage. Everyone was amused. Later, the birthday girl was available for a photo.

Over the next few days, however, Justice reflected on the state of politics and, in particular, his own party. Maybe it was the price of jet fuel that made him turn inward. Maybe it was Babydog’s rising food expenses. Maybe it was the polls. Or maybe it was a staffer who told him it’s a bad look when diesel hits $6.50 a gallon and you’re over there in D.C. partying with a chunky pooch. (RELATED: Republican Senator Backtracks After Slamming ICE Deportations)

Diesel is averaging $6.50 per gallon nationwide today. https://t.co/3RDGJyiXmC

Regardless, he shared his thoughts with the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. The senator admitted that fellow Republicans have “glossed over” normal Americans who are “really hurting” as a result of high housing, fuel and grocery prices. “We, as Republicans, can become tone deaf,” he explained. “I think we, as Republicans, should own it. This is not to say, ‘Well, our president screwed up, or Congress screwed up,’ or whatever it may be. We ought to own it. Period.” (RELATED: Republicans Scramble To Save Their Own Skin)

To be fair, Justice has hosted a Capitol Hill party for his baby before. While the federal government was shut down in October 2025, the six-year-old Babydog was celebrated with balloons and bulldog-themed cake pops. Staffers, with nothing better to do, lined up and applauded as she was wheeled around in her signature carriage.

But still, it boggles the mind that, ahead of a midterm election dominated by cost-of-living concerns and high energy prices, a sitting Republican senator would throw yet another party for his pet — a scene that has the whiff of hot dog breath and pre-revolutionary France. If that isn’t “tone deaf,” then what is?