It’s spooky season everyone, and let’s face it—there’s not much scarier than the current state of U.S. politics. From impeachment inquires to the largest ever field of Democratic primary candidates, you don’t even have to go through a haunted house to want to scream. But if you were hoping to take a step back from all the political chaos this Oct. 31, think again. I’m here to help you embrace this spooky state of politics by using it as inspiration to create the best political Halloween costumes.

Disclaimer: Yes — I am aware that I have selected only the most terrifying photos as the example for each costume. It’s Halloween, people. Get scared.

  1. (S)quid pro quo

It’s just a regular squid costume — but the trick is to go around saying that you won’t ink anyone in exchange for not being turned into calamari. If others don’t find your costume scary, don’t despair. If you decide to go trick-or-treating in Washington D.C., I guarantee that President Trump will be so afraid of your existence that he’ll slam the door to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. right in your face. According to him, there was “no quid pro quo.” I’m going to assume that this statement extends to squid pro quos as well.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

2. Post-eye explosion Joe Biden

I won’t lie to you—I spend a lot of time wondering why so few people still talk about Joe Biden’s eye explosion that occurred during a CNN climate change town hall back in September. I mean, come on. The man’s eye literally exploded. Well, really, a blood vessel burst in his left eye. But close enough. While some might have taken this as a sign that the 76-year-old candidate isn’t exactly getting younger, I took it as inspiration for the perfect political Halloween costume. All you need to complete the look is some fake blood and red contacts. Then you’ll be essentially indistinguishable from the former vice president and current Democratic primary candidate.

Photo courtesy of Flickr

3. Fox & Friends

This one gives you a little bit of room for creativity. You can dress as a fox and force all your friends to go as a variety of woodland creatures (hence the “& Friends”). Or, if friends aren’t exactly your strong suit, you can buy yourself a Friends TV show T-shirt to wear over your fox costume. Unlike the (S)quid Pro Quo costume option, Trump will probably be pretty far from scared of you. Although, be careful. If your polls don’t match Trump’s idea of what they should be, he might just tell you that “you suck” and are just so different than you used to be “in the good old days.” Then, you’ll be absolutely terrifying in his eyes.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

4. “Pete-za” Pete

This costume might just be the sexiest on our list. All it requires is a pizza costume and a name tag that says “Mayor Pete.” But what does Democratic primary candidate Pete Buttigieg have to do with pizza, you ask? Excellent question. The name “Pete-za Pete” originates from one of his latest campaign strategies in which his supporters can enter for a chance to win “Pizza with Pete,” which is, as the name implies, a pizza dinner with the presidential candidate. Okay, fine. I’ll admit it: I stole this idea from Fred Tippett, comedic genius and author of our 2020 Fever series. But it’s so ridiculous that I couldn’t resist.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

5. Leslie Knope

Last but not least, you could also be arguably the least problematic (although highly fictional) politician of them all—Pawnee, Indiana’s very own City Councilwoman Leslie Knope. Recently, Michael Schur, co-creator of the TV series Parks and Recreation, announced that despite the character’s intense love for Joe Biden in the show, he believed that Knope would support candidate Elizabeth Warren in the Democratic primaries. But regardless of who you’re supporting in the election, nothing gets more political than throwing on a pantsuit, putting on a blonde wig, and becoming the Leslie Knope. The real question is, if Knope wasn’t a fictional character, would she be running for president in 2020?

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr under Creative Commons.