Rudolph McCoy-Pantoja Jr. (born July 20, 1964) is an American perennial political candidate and resident of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. He became an

internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

due to a 2016 viral video of him jokingly identifying as "Hugh Mungus".

The "Hugh Mungus" incident

On August 10, 2016, Pantoja spoke at a public meeting of the

Seattle City Council The Seattle City Council is the legislative body of the city of Seattle, Washington. The Council consists of nine members serving four-year terms, seven of which are elected by electoral districts and two of which are elected in citywide at-lar ...

in support of a new police station in the North Precinct, crediting the police with helping his daughter obtain treatment for addiction to heroin. At the meeting, activist Zarna Joshi claimed that media coverage of the event chose to interview Pantoja and not any of the activists protesting the meeting or speaking against it. Joshi argued that this was out of a desire for footage of a person of colour speaking in support of the station, accusing the news media of

tokenism Tokenism is the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to be inclusive to members of minority groups, especially by recruiting people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of racial or gender equality wit ...

. After the meeting, Joshi encountered Pantoja outside of City Council chambers as she was videotaping. He approached her, offered to give his name, and proceeded to offer the

gag name A gag name is a pseudonym intended to be humorous through its similarity to both a real name and a term or phrase that is funny, strange, or vulgar. The source of humor stems from the double meaning behind the phrase, although use of the name wit ...

"Hugh Mungus." Joshi responded by asking "Humongous what?" and grew agitated when he did not respond. She eventually asked if he had meant it as sexual harassment, and when he continued not to respond, she began accusing him of sexual harassment, pursuing him with her camera, and ultimately ending up in an altercation with the authorities present. The video gained particular notoriety online following a reaction video posted by

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel

h3h3Productions h3h3Productions is a YouTube channel hosted by Ethan Klein and Hila Klein, an Israeli-American husband-and-wife duo. The majority of their content consists of reaction videos and sketch comedy in which they satirize internet culture. The ''H3 ...

Community activities

Pantoja chose not to take part in the

Great American Boycott The Great American Boycott ( es, El Gran Paro Estadounidense, or es, El Gran Paro Americano, lit. "the Great American Strike"), also called the Day Without an Immigrant ( es, Día sin inmigrante), was a one-day boycott of United States scho ...

on May 1, 2006. He instead was seen sweeping a sidewalk in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Following the

2012 Packers–Seahawks officiating controversy The Fail Mary, sometimes known as the Inaccurate Reception or the Intertouchdownception, was the final play of an American football game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) that occurred on Sep ...

, Pantoja attempted to exchange gifts with

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

mayor

Jim Schmitt James J. Schmitt (born June 7, 1958) is an American politician from Wisconsin. A Republican, he served as the mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, from 2003 to 2019, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor. Personal life The fourth of 11 children ...

. After Schmitt's office refused the gifts, Pantoja exchanged gifts with

Delavan, Wisconsin Delavan is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,505 at the 2020 census. It is located southwest of Milwaukee. The city is located partially within the Town of Delavan, but the two entities are politically i ...

mayor Mel Nieuwenhuis. Pantoja sent local beer, smoked salmon and kringles to Nieuwenhuis. In return Nieuwenhuis planned to send a "six or 12-pack of Miller High Life, cheese and fresh venison he hunted himself." Pantoja supports Everett-based charity Hope Soldiers, an organization that aims to help people struggling with addiction and depression off the streets. A gardener by profession, he ran for

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

in 1994, 1996, and 2002. He ran for

Position 8 in 2017, and he opposed a local income tax, arguing that "it would have to be determined statewide". In May 2019, Pantoja attended a

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...

forum about neighborhood crime held by Seattle Mayor

Jenny Durkan Jenny Anne Durkan (born May 19, 1958) is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor, and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Seattle, Washington. She is the daughter of Martin Durkan. Durkan is a member of the Democratic Party. Afte ...

. Pantoja has been working as a

landscaper Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

and

garden designer A garden designer is someone who designs the plan and features of gardens, either as an amateur or professional. The compositional elements of garden design and landscape design are: terrain, water, planting, constructed elements and buildings, p ...

in the

Seattle Area The Seattle metropolitan area is an urban conglomeration in the U.S. state of Washington that comprises Seattle, its surrounding satellites and suburbs. It contains the three most populous counties in the state—King, Snohomish, and Pierce� ...

since the 1990s, and has said he has installed stone paths, waterfalls, and fountains.

Personal life

Pantoja is of

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and Native American descent and considers himself to be

Chicano Chicano or Chicana is a chosen identity for many Mexican Americans in the United States. The label ''Chicano'' is sometimes used interchangeably with ''Mexican American'', although the terms have different meanings. While Mexican-American ident ...

. A

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campaign started by Ethan Klein of

in November 2016 raised $155,000 for him after he faced several health problems. Klein originally set up a YouCaring campaign, but it was shut down. Some of the problems he faced were a hip replacement, his truck breaking down, and being served an eviction notice. Pantoja is a grandfather and mentioned his daughter had previously struggled from

opiate addiction Opioid use disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder characterized by cravings for opioids, continued use despite physical and/or psychological deterioration, increased tolerance with use, and withdrawal symptoms after discontinuing opioids. Op ...

until he was able to get her into a recovery program, and Pantoja himself was also in recovery from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. Pantoja lives in Crown Hill. Pantoja also starred in the Ballard High School short film ''Richard''.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pantoja, Rudy 1964 births Living people American gardeners American people of German descent American politicians of Mexican descent American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent Internet memes Politicians from Seattle Washington (state) Republicans