Chicken John is running for Mayor of San Francisco!

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This was the official website for "Chicken" John Rinaldi's 2007 run for mayor of San Francisco. He garnered 8 percent of the city's vote. Just because a domain's registration expired, there is no reason why Chicken John's website should disappear from the web. So here you go... The content below is from the site's 2007 archived pages.

VoteforChicken.com is now live, so take a moment to learn more about this man's "Nuisance '07" campaign.

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about chicken

photo by Lane Hartwell www.fetching.net

First thank you dinner was a smashing sucess. Except I had 3 sips of wine too many and talked for a teeny, tiny bit too long. But it was interesting. The donors came. They had critiques. They had compliments. Complaints. They were interested, inspired and hungry. They ate everything and went through my underwear drawer.

The next thank you dinner will be probably after the election. I have now like 430 people to thank and feed.

This blog is me stalling because I can't write about all the other stuff because it's just too many words right now and I have a feeling that the world doesn't need more words tonight - it needs something else. But it's definatly something that I don't have.

I've learned more in the last week than I have in the last year of my life.

I'm about to explode.

 

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More Background On VoteForChicken.com

 

Introduction

VoteForChicken.com was the official campaign website for “Chicken” John Rinaldi’s 2007 bid for mayor of San Francisco. Far from a conventional campaign platform, the site embodied Chicken John’s flair for satire, theatrical performance, political subversion, and absurdist wit. While the campaign was never intended to follow traditional political paths, it garnered attention both locally and nationally for its bold, ironic approach to civic issues.

With over 8% of the vote in a city dominated by incumbent Gavin Newsom, Rinaldi’s campaign stands as a peculiar, unforgettable moment in San Francisco political history—equal parts performance art, social commentary, and actual candidacy. This article explores VoteForChicken.com and the campaign’s impact, dissecting its ownership, messaging, cultural significance, public reception, and more.

Ownership and Identity

Who is Chicken John?

Chicken John is the stage name of John Rinaldi—a showman, mechanic, provocateur, and self-described “documented confusionist.” Based in San Francisco, Rinaldi has long been a fixture in the city’s underground art and political scenes. Known for his oversized bus, his tiny dog, and his passion for staging elaborate stunts and theatrical events, Chicken John brought his showmanship directly into the political arena with his 2007 mayoral run.

VoteForChicken.com served as the digital extension of this campaign—a home for bizarre press releases, self-deprecating humor, surreal public policy proposals, and ongoing documentation of his campaign trail escapades.

Goals and Campaign Themes

Satirical Civic Engagement

Chicken John’s campaign mocked—and simultaneously critiqued—establishment politics by proposing outlandish yet thought-provoking solutions to citywide issues. While some interpreted his candidacy as a joke, others saw it as a refreshing challenge to the performative nature of modern politics.

On the Environment

One of the most ridiculous yet memorable "policy platforms" dealt with Golden Gate Park’s fictional infestation of vampiric doves, supposedly caused by lab mice infected by the “Prion Liberation Front.” His proposed solution? Attach ten-inch barriers to doves to prevent them from socializing.

On Homelessness

Chicken John proposed converting homeless shelters into giant McDonald’s-style plastic ball pits, suggesting this would make them more “fun.” The absurdity highlighted how conventional policy often ignores the human dignity and quality-of-life aspects of homelessness.

On Government Corruption

A controversial but satirical statement centered around the real-life scandal involving supervisor Ed Jew. Chicken’s defense of “Jew” parodied media bias and highlighted ethnic and political scapegoating. The name-based wordplay drew both laughter and ire, encapsulating his provocative campaign style.

Campaign Activities and Events

Public Engagement and Performance

Chicken’s campaign was filled with real-world events that blended activism with performance art:

• Ethics Commission Hearings: He called upon supporters to attend commission meetings when the city questioned his eligibility for public financing. The satire became reality when bureaucratic red tape blocked campaign funds despite his compliance.

• Door-to-Door Precinct Walks: Chicken John encouraged volunteers to look harmless while hanging campaign materials on doorknobs. The mundane mechanics of campaigning were approached with humor and absurdity.

• The Losers Ball: His election-night event celebrated not winning in theatrical style. Rather than a concession speech, it was an anti-celebration embracing outsider status and creative loss.

• Project Artist Connect: This art show parodied official city initiatives like “Project Homeless Connect.” Chicken invited local artists to visually comment on San Francisco’s social issues. Featuring explosive metal art, solemn drawings, and fake real estate ventures like “Dystopic Horizons Realty,” the exhibit was a satire on civic gentrification and hypocrisy.

Media Coverage and Publicity

Press and Public Reaction

VoteForChicken.com attracted a significant amount of media attention—not only because of its content, but due to the cult of personality surrounding Chicken John:

• SF Weekly covered the campaign extensively, often with a mix of humor and skepticism. One blog post on the site even charted Chicken’s “ethics timeline.”

• Fog City Journal published a piece on a debate in which Chicken John participated—alongside a puppet. The performance underscored the campaign’s theatrical core while also emphasizing the lack of seriousness in traditional politics.

• The Washington Post journalist Karl Vick offered the candidate a rare moment of respect, treating the campaign as a legitimate critique of the political system rather than a sideshow.

• Israeli daily Maariv mentioned Chicken John among the San Francisco mayoral candidates, giving international recognition to the campaign’s unconventional style.

Online Presence

The VoteForChicken.com site functioned as a blog, campaign diary, press room, and comic manifesto. The entries blended satire with genuine personal insight—sometimes railing against bureaucracy, sometimes praising volunteers, and often poking fun at the political process itself.

Many of the blog entries dealt with daily interactions on the campaign trail—debating ethics board decisions, organizing flash mobs and ribbon cuttings, engaging with local reporters, and planning events with names like “The Losers Ball.” The posts not only updated supporters but also served as satirical social commentary, written in Chicken’s irreverent voice.

Cultural and Social Significance

Political Performance Art

In many ways, Chicken John’s campaign blurred the lines between performance art and political activism. His antics—such as calling for blue angel jets to drop clean needles into homeless ball pits—were absurd on the surface but also underlined the lack of innovative policy approaches to urban issues.

His events often took the form of interactive street theater, inviting public participation in political critique. His “Project Artist Connect” exhibit was both an artistic commentary and a literal platform for discussing city policies through visual satire.

Fringe Candidate or Social Mirror?

While Chicken John was written off by some as a joke candidate, others—particularly in San Francisco’s artist and activist circles—saw him as a truth-teller. His exaggerated proposals and self-effacing humor mirrored how disconnected many citizens felt from bureaucratic politics.

The campaign wasn’t just satire for satire’s sake—it invited citizens to question who holds power, how policy is shaped, and whether sincerity still exists in public office. By performing politics as theater, he forced traditional politicians to confront their own lack of authenticity.

Legacy

An Enduring Cult Persona

Though he did not win the election, Chicken John’s campaign continues to resonate with those who followed it. His presence is still felt in San Francisco’s counterculture, DIY arts scene, and fringe political movements. The website, even years later, remains an archive of one of the city’s most unique election cycles.

Influence on Local Art and Activism

Chicken John’s integration of art, absurdity, and activism helped validate performance art as a tool for political engagement. Projects like the artist housing exhibit and mock ribbon-cuttings opened new channels for local artists to comment on civic life. His legacy arguably paved the way for other activist-artists in SF to occupy a larger public stage.

 

VoteForChicken.com was never meant to be a conventional campaign site. It was a stage, a statement, and a provocation. Through humor, irreverence, and satire, Chicken John Rinaldi brought attention to the ridiculous and the tragic aspects of city politics. His campaign asked voters to think, laugh, and—above all—question.

In a city known for its eccentricity, the Vote for Chicken campaign wasn’t just tolerated—it became part of San Francisco’s political folklore. Whether remembered as a prank, a protest, or a performance, it was undeniably a moment of theatrical democracy worth revisiting.

 

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