Sen. Thom Tillis hosted a Halloween dog costume “celebration” on Tuesday evening in the hopes of “bipawtisanship.”
The North Carolina Republican said he thought about a dozen or so dogs would turn out for the event, but it ended up attracting close to 40 dogs and a few hundred people at a Senate building on Capitol Hill.
“People love dogs and we love paying attention to them,” Tillis said.
It’s not the first time Tillis has used his office dog “Tilly” to help bring people together.
He stumped with the dog in July for the annual “Cutest Dogs on the Hill” contest. Tilly, a Boston terrier, was a finalist in the competition, but finished a distant third.
Tilly, who is about 1, is owned by Lexie Hosier, Tillis’ digital director.
Last year before the election, Tillis “interviewed” his dog, a 10-year-old boxer named Ike (after President Dwight Eisenhower) about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, ISIS and the deficit. Tillis encouraged his dog to vote for him.
Brian Murphy: 202.383.6089; Twitter: @MurphinDC