Rudy Pantoja


Rudolph McCoy-Pantoja Jr. is an American perennial political candidate and resident of Seattle, Washington. He became an internet meme due to a 2016 viral video of him jokingly identifying as "Hugh Mungus".

"Hugh Mungus" incident

On August 10, 2016, Pantoja spoke at a public meeting of the Seattle City Council, supporting a new police station in the North Precinct, crediting the police for helping his heroin-addicted daughter getting treatment. Black Lives Matter activists were present demonstrating against the police expansion, and were recorded off-camera speaking out of turn and deriding Pantoja as he spoke and mistakenly assumed his race to be white. Pantoja is Chicano. At the meeting, activist Zarna Joshi spoke against the new police station and police in general. After the meeting, she was videotaping Pantoja when he was asked his name. When Pantoja offered the gag name "Hugh Mungus", Joshi responded by angrily and repeatedly asking "Humongous what?", 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 channel h3h3Productions, with many citing Joshi as an extreme example of a social justice warrior.

Community activities

Pantoja chose not to take part in the Great American Boycott on May 1, 2006. He instead was seen sweeping a sidewalk in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.
Following the 2012 Packers–Seahawks officiating controversy, Pantoja attempted to exchange gifts with Green Bay, Wisconsin mayor Jim Schmitt. After Schmitt's office refused the gifts, Pantoja exchanged gifts with Delavan, Wisconsin 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."
A gardener by profession, he ran for Washington House of Representatives in 1994, 1996, and 2002. He ran for Seattle City Council in 2017.

Personal life

Pantoja is of Mexican, German and Native American descent and considers himself to be Chicano. A GoFundMe campaign started by Ethan Klein of h3h3Productions 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.

Electoral history