How the Death of a Celebrity Squirrel Became a Republican Rallying Cry

“I know Don is fired up about P’Nut the squirrel,” JD Vance, the vice-presidential candidate said at a rally in Sanford, N.C., on Sunday.

“Don,” of course, was his running mate, Donald J. Trump, and P’Nut was an internet-famous squirrel who was seized and euthanized by New York State wildlife agents last week and — because this is America in 2024 — instantly beatified by some on the right as a martyr fallen on the altar of government overreach.

In the frantic last days of an election when candidates are scrabbling for any edge, the death of P’Nut (who also went by Peanut) has been pounced on by some Republicans as something of a fur-covered November surprise.

His fate, which he shared with his roommate in his owner’s house, a raccoon named Fred, has become a talking point for candidates running for local office and all the way to the presidency. P’Nut’s demise has been mourned by conservative talking heads on television and on sites like X, where Elon Musk lionized the rodent as a Jedi martyr — more powerful in death than in life.

“RIP Peanut,” read a post on a Trump campaign’s official TikTok account on Sunday. “Needlessly murdered by Democrat bureaucrats in New York.” The accompanying slide show included an image of Mr. Trump with what presumably is P’Nut’s ghost resting a paw on his shoulder. “We will avenge you on Tuesday at the ballot box.”

P’Nut’s journey from cowboy-hat-wearing Instagram cutie to conservative lighting rod began on Oct. 30. That was when New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officers, responding to what the agency said were anonymous complaints, arrived at the home of his owner, Mark Longo in Pine City in Chemung County. In New York State, it is illegal to house animals considered wildlife without a special permit; Mr. Longo has said he was in the process of applying for one.