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written by Sam Greenspan

Campaign posters of candidates with some of them funny posted along the side of the street.

Politicians named Loser, Schmuck, Mark McGrath (and so many more) are the funniest.

The midterm elections in the U.S. are next week, even though, by all reports, no one knows it. But this isn’t soapbox time. It’s stupid picture time. That’s a “abortions for some, miniature American flags for others”-level compromise!

We all know that politics can often be as serious as a heart attack, with all the debates, scandals, and finger-pointing going on. But today, we’re taking a detour from all that and also dive into the lighter side of the political circus – campaign signs with hilarious candidate names!

Funnies politician names and their campaign signs

Here are 11 photos of campaign signs of candidates with fantastic funny names.

I tried to track down how all of them did in their elections (spoiler: most lost) to draw a small sample-size conclusion of whether having a goofy name helps or hurts you. In elections? Probably hurts. To gain immortality? Absolutely helps.

1 | Jack Ball, Dr. Faye Ball and Don Cox

This is gotta be the funniest of all the funniest political names in one poster- Jack Ball, Dr. Faye Ball, and Don Cox.

This could easily be the funniest politician names mashed in one campaign sign.

You have to appreciate that it’s not just the sophomoric Ball-Cox joke, but that there are two Balls to accompany the one Cox. That’s next level stuff right there.

Sadly, the election results really Lance Armstronged the ticket. Jack Ball and Don Cox both won, but Faye Ball lost. I know this from the local college newspaper that had the headline “Ball and Cox Beat Off Their Opponents in Ewing Election.”

2 | Jay Walker

Campaign post of the write-in candidate Jay Walker.

Really, as a write-in candidate, this guy was really lucky to have a memorably bad name. Aren’t you more likely to remember to write in “Jay Walker” than anyone else?

I couldn’t find the results of this election, so let’s assume his “bad name” strategy paid off and he got 96 percent of the vote.

3 | Krystal Ball

Candidate Krystal Ball running for Congress as shown in her campaign poster.

Krystal lost her 2010 Congressional campaign (requisite “should’ve seen that coming” note) but still wound up as a talking head on cable news, which is really the endgame in this day and age anyway.

If for some reason she is being named after a street, her road sign could easily be one of the most stolen.

4 | Oliver Loser

A poster of Oliver Loser with his picture erected on a street post.

It must be damn hard to go through life with the last name Loser, so good for him making a run at whatever political office he was running for. I really have no idea. I just saw this image in multiple places as a funny politician name. For all I know this is a sign advertising a satisfied customer from some German electric company.

But whatever this is, all I can say is, “Good luck, Oliver. I wish you the best of luck!”

5 | Moe Cotton

Moe Cotton campaign poster erected near an electrical pole.

When I was searching for a larger image of this sign, I found one that’s a Facebook screenshot that said, “Nah we ain’t falling for that again.” Which is pretty good. And Moe Cotton lost, which seems about right.

6 | Lawless for Circuit Judge

Janelle Lawless' ironic campaign sign running for circuit judge.

This is a nice ironic sign (not even the Internet definition of ironic, the actual definition), and Janelle Lawless must’ve been a damn good candidate because she overcame her name to win. Over and over and over.

She’s running for reelection on Tuesday and is unopposed. She’s as close as we’ve got in real life to Judge Reinholt being an actual mock trial judge.

7 | Shotwell for Sheriff

A funny campaign sign of Shotwell running for sheriff.

Sure, he’ll run for sheriff, but he will not run for dep-u-ty.

8 | Mike Hunt

Mike Hunt campaign sign running for county sheriff.

Ah yes, every seventh grade boy’s favorite joke, played out in a real-life South Carolina sheriff’s race. If I were his campaign manager, I would’ve suggested going by “Michael,” but it wasn’t necessary.

He was elected, then promptly indicted for murder charges. The charges were eventually dropped and he’s still the sheriff. It’s all very South Carolina in every way.

9 | Frank Schmuck

Campaign signs of Frank Schmuck, Phil Hettmansperger, and Tracy Buelna.

Obviously, Frank Schmuck is the main course in this photo, but Phil Hettmansperger isn’t exactly in the clear when it comes to odd names. Tracy Buelna, you’re cool. (All three lost.)

10 | Becky Gay vs. Steve Strait

Campaign sign of Becky Gay and Steve Straight. This is easily one of the funniest politician names.

This is easily one of the funniest politician names on the list.

They were both Republicans, so Becky Gay never really had a chance. She lost to Steve Strait here in the primary. But then he went on to lose in the general election. (To a guy named Berkowitz).

We weren’t lucky enough to have him lose to someone named Crooked, Bering, Dire, or Bisexualstein.

11 | Mark McGrath

A campaign sign of Mark McGrath.

Just because you’ve got the same name as the guy from Sugar Ray doesn’t mean you’re a “proven fighter.”