Michigan furry ‘Elyon Badger’ running for US Congress on Democratic ticket: ‘I’m deadly serious’

A Michigan furry with a history of crude comments about Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk and America itself is running for US Congress — and insists he’s being completely serious.

Samuel Smeltzer is seeking the Democratic nomination for Michigan’s 7th District in the 2026 midterms, when he hopes to challenge Republican incumbent Tom Barrett for his congressional seat in Washington.

But Smeltzer is no ordinary candidate — he is an outspoken member of the “Furry” community, and has been campaigning under the name “Elyon Badger” — complete with a cartoon badger mask to match his name.

“We need someone like Elyon who truly has the heart required to change things for the better,” Smeltzer told Pride Source in October, referring in the third person to the honey badger “mascot” he adopted as a part of the furry community.

The former Army National Guardsman often campaigns in his badger attire, which is typically paired with a green marijuana themed suit, top hat, a psychedelic cape and a large plush blunt.

Elyon Badger is even his official name on the Michigan ballot, where he is running as a Democratic Socialist with a “tax the rich” platform focused on providing universal health care.

“I kind of feel that honey badger energy within me,” he said, referring to the widely meme-ed African badger known for its ferocious temperament.

And Smeltzer’s campaign persona follows suit — his social media is filled with videos of himself raging against billionaires, establishment politicians from both sides of the aisle and ferociously sounding off about the benefits of socialism.

He is also a fierce advocate of the LGBTQ community he is a part of, saying in August when the Supreme Court was asked to overturn gay marriage that “these fascists” were coming for everyone, and that nobody in Washington was doing anything about it.

“People want to see something different in Congress, and as silly as I may be, I’m deadly serious when it comes to the policies I want to enact,” he told Pride Source.

“You deserve higher wages and more free time with your family,” he wrote on his official campaign page, where he says he wants “to build a government that finally works for the people, NOT THE BILLIONAIRES.”

But Smeltzer’s honey badger has also attracted its criticisms.

He celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination in September, calling the conservative activist “evil” in one post and implying he was a Nazi in another.

In other posts he wrote “I hate American and I love China” and “America deserved 9/11,” praised Luigi Mangione’s murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and even wrote “kill billionaires” on Bluesky as recently as Nov. 7.

He could not be reached for comment, but previously told the Free Beacon that his establishment opponents were afraid of what he — and his furry compatriots — represent.

“The furry community is the ultimate form of freedom in America and that’s why conservatives hate it and the queer community so much,” he told the outlet.

He also assailed establishment Democrats for failing to “fight for the working class,” saying they could “only trudge along and drag this broken cart through the mud.”

Smeltzer is facing off against six others for next year’s Democratic nomination, including former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink.