From Costume to Congress: How Colombia’s White Elephant Activist Won a Senate Seat

Colombia is inaugurating its new Congress this week, with dozens of lawmakers sworn in on July 20.

One legislator may appear in an elephant costume.

Luis Carlos Rúa, a content creator who ran on a platform of fighting corruption and reducing government waste while donning a white elephant costume, won a Senate seat with roughly 120,000 votes — more than many of his rivals. He told voters he is “grateful” for their support in challenging the political establishment and choosing the little elephant,.

Mr. Rúa disclosed his identity to voters just days before the March 8 election. He belongs to a cohort of Colombian leaders in their 20s and 30s who have harnessed social media to reach constituents who feel alienated from the traditional political establishment.

“People voted for me because they believe in my mission,” Mr. Rúa says, noting that he sees himself as an activist rather than a social‑media influencer. “They felt their ballots could help me oversee public spending.”

Social media is leveling the playing field for political outsiders in Colombia, a nation historically ruled by large parties and wealthy elites who trade favors, jobs, and public contracts for votes, according to Carlos Andrés Arias, a political consultant in Bogotá.

This year, a city councilor who gained fame by exposing dubious government contracts on social media also secured a congressional seat, and a comedian who hosts a YouTube program on Colombian politics won a Senate position. Moreover, the victorious presidential candidate, Abelardo de la Espriella, entered office without prior political experience or party backing, instead connecting with younger voters through AI‑generated videos.

“In earlier times, a person in a white elephant costume lacking political patronage would have stood no chance,” Mr. Arias observes.

Courtesy of Elefante Blanco

Luis Carlos Rúa’s outfit is a playful take on the term “white elephant,” which worldwide denotes costly, highly visible government projects that are hard to sustain.

Putting politicians to work

Over the past four years, Mr. Rúa has crisscrossed Colombia, producing Instagram reels that highlight government projects plagued by waste or delays. Globally, such endeavors are labeled “white elephants” — conspicuous, expensive, and tough to maintain.

While delivering his commentary in a pitched, audio‑edited voice about potholed roads and shaky overpasses, Mr. Rúa dons an elephant suit reminiscent of a lively college mascot.

The clips are humorous, yet they also provoke indignation. By highlighting unfinished schools, crumbling bridges, and damaged streets, his Instagram following has swelled to nearly 400,000, with many videos drawing thousands of comments.

“The goal is to pressure politicians into action,” Mr. Rúa explains in a phone interview from Pereira, a city in central Colombia.

After posting the videos, Mr. Rúa files lawsuits against the officials or agencies responsible for the deficient or wasteful projects. In several instances, judges have ruled that state and municipal authorities must redirect funds to finish the stalled works.

“Initially, I treated this as a pastime,” he says. “But once I recognized its impact, I committed fully to the little elephant.

An online hero, unmasked

The newly elected senator explains that his interest in anti‑corruption work began when he served as a public‑relations officer for the municipal government of Pereira, his hometown in Colombia’s coffee‑growing highlands. One of his duties was to track media coverage of the local administration.

Reports on delayed road, school, and other infrastructure projects began to surface. In some instances, he found that money earmarked for these initiatives had been diverted to other uses, including political campaigns.

After a falling‑out with the mayor, Mr. Rúa stepped away from politics for a couple of years. In 2022 he resumed his efforts, producing videos about botched infrastructure projects and purchasing the white elephant costume.

“It helped reinforce my message,” Mr. Rúa says. The costume also allowed him to stay anonymous, boosting his sense of security. Dozens of human‑rights defenders are killed each year in Colombia, and he himself has faced death threats.

Traveling across Colombia to film the videos drained his savings. Crowdfunding provided some relief, but the financial strain of sustaining the elephant initiative ultimately drove him to seek elected office.

In Colombia, lawmakers receive a substantial monthly stipend for hiring staff. Mr. Rúa realized he could allocate part of that funding — along with the senators’ travel allowance — to support his elephant videos and the legal actions targeting corrupt officials.

“Rather than contributing to a crowdfunding campaign, citizens can back my initiative simply by voting for me,” he says.

His campaign was short‑lived.

He needed a party’s endorsement to appear on the ballot, though no rule forced him to reveal his identity to voters. Nevertheless, three days before the election he posted a video in which he removed his mask and disclosed himself for the sake of transparency.

“Our effort will persist until politicians fear to steal,” he declares in the video.

As a senator, Mr. Rúa says he will draft legislation to regulate companies and municipal bodies that operate costly toll roads. He also plans to keep producing white‑elephant videos that call out defective and overpriced infrastructure projects. Should his legislative duties keep him occupied, a staff member can stand in for him in the elephant costume, he notes.

“Anyone can take on the role of the elephant that deters officials from siphoning funds in Colombia,” he adds.

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