In a comment on my post about the Duke student government elections, Ken Waight of Lying in Ponds points us to a hilarious story about the leading candidate for NC State student body president — the Pirate Captain. I have to quote this one at length — it reads like a story from the Onion:

Amidst raucous cheers and hearty applause from the audience, Elections Commission Chair Bonnie Pierson announced results for the 2005 Spring General Elections Wednesday night on Harris Field.

Although none of the four candidates vying for the position of student body president received the majority vote required, candidates Will Quick and The Pirate Captain rose above the fray and will go head to head in a runoff election next week.

…This semester’s election marked a record high in voter turnout, which totaled almost 27 percent of the student population, according to Pierson.

The fact was punctuated by the close to 150 students present at the announcement, several of whom where decked in anything from full pirate regalia to cardboard pirate hats obtained from the seafood chain Long John Silvers.

“I hear we got record turnout,” the Captain said. “I be nothing but impressed.”

The Captain also said he was thrilled with the prospect of participating in the runoffs and inspired by the support.

“I couldn’t be happier,” the Captain said. “The wind be in our sails. It warms our souls and carries our boats.”

Quick, who lost the popular vote to the Captain 44 to 21 percent, said that he felt good about the election results and was confident in his ability to come out on top next week.

“I felt from the beginning that I would be in the runoff, it was just a matter of who,” Quick said. “Of course I’m disappointed that I didn’t win, but the past is behind me and I’m focusing on the runoff.”

Although he said he was “surprised that The Pirate Captain had received that much support,” Quick said he never overlooked the possibilities of the candidate during his campaign.

“I wouldn’t say that I over- or underestimated The Pirate Captain,” Quick said. “[He] was a hard factor to predict.”

Will Langley, visibly disappointed after his defeat, said that he felt the elections sparked student interest and motivated students to get out and vote.

“The Pirate Captain definitely got the student body involved,” Langley said. “I hate that he had to make a mockery of the system to make it happen.”

Langley said the students need the right person for the job, and that he hopes the Pirate Captain will realize that, if elected, the position of student body president is a “serious job.”

Here’s another story from local TV channel WRAL:

One candidate for student body president at North Carolina State University is rocking the boat.

North Carolina State is the home of the Wolfpack, but right now, a pirate is the talk on campus.

A student is on the ballot, not under a real name, but as The Pirate Captain. He even has a platform or “plank.” It includes “expanding the bus lines to haul thar peopled cargo to and fro from ACC bouts at the yonder RBC Center.” Also, “holding meetin’s open to all ye landlubbers.”

The Pirate Captain said his candidacy is serious. At least one of his competitors believes it.

“It’s cool how he’s doing things, how he wants to get out and have his message heard,” presidential candidate Will Langley said.

Candidate Lock Whiteside is not sure what to make of it.

“We were hanging up our signs one night and we ran into him and his craw. They were all dressed up in pirate gear and he came to the debate the other night dressed up as a pirate as well, so it’s ridiculous. It really is,” presidential candidate Lock Whiteside said.

“Voting for someone who wants to rid the campus of scurvy dogs is not really an effective way of having student government,” sophomore Christopher Sanchez said.

The Pirate Captain was able to get on the ballot because all students need to run for office is a valid student ID number to verify they are in good standing. The Pirate Captain promises to dress more “dapper” if he’s elected.

Here he is in full regalia:

Update 4/11: Here’s his website, complete with lots of pictures of the Captain and his Scurvy Crew plus some sort of commercial I can’t open on my machine.