I don’t remember why I chose White; maybe it was the fact that she wasn’t the usual Marxist-Leninist or lonely Communist one found on the ballot, or maybe it was the fact that hers was basically a single-issue party, and that issue barely resonated with voters. Sure, people liked animals, but they liked a robust economy even more. I was also living in her riding, so knew full well she had no shot at being competitive, let alone winning. She had a better chance of being eaten by a tiger.

In any case, she agreed to be profiled, and I spent a few days with her in the lead-up to the election, hanging out at the party’s rescue cat–adorned headquarters near the city’s East Chinatown, accompanying her to an all-candidates debate, and following her on the campaign trail.