American pimp Dennis Hof died this week at the age of 72, but that doesn’t mean he’s dead in the running for the Nevada State Assembly, a race in which he is still the leading contender to pick up the District 36 seat as a Republican.
Hof became a celebrity pimp in the mid-2000’s from the HBO show “Cathouse,” which profiled his notorious legal brothel business in Nevada – the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. He decided to run for political office in 2016 following the rise of President Trump, an election that the Associated Press says he is “poised to win” posthumously after being found dead in one of his brothels on Tuesday following a weekend of parties. Porn legend Ron Jeremy is allegedly the one who discovered his body. No foul play is suspected.
“In the meantime, it’s too late to change the ballots, which have been printed and mailed,” reports AP. “Voting begins Saturday. Even though officials will post notices at the polls that Hof died, he seems likely to get elected.”
Hof’s campaign consultant, Chuck Muth, said the death of Hof shocked him unimaginably. “Just when I thought that there was nothing else in this race that could possibly shock me, here we are,” Muth said.
Despite beating his GOP opponent in the primary, the American pimp was largely shunned by the GOP establishment due to his business practices, which were rather unorthodox even by brothel standards. More from AP:
Nevada is the only state to allow legal prostitution, which occurs at about 20 licensed brothels in mostly rural areas.
Most brothel owners keep a low profile, offering few interviews and buying only subtle advertising. But Hof had a penchant for splashy billboards and stunts that included helping several women ‘auction’ their virginity.
Hof made an unsuccessful run for the Statehouse in 2016 as a Libertarian. Then this past summer, he ousted a three-term incumbent Republican in the primary after putting up billboards advertising his rival’s arrest for disorderly conduct three decades prior and sending campaign emails with a candid picture of the man slumped and asleep in a chair.
After Hof’s win, establishment Republicans refused to back him, including U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, who is in a tight re-election race, and Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt, who is in a close battle for the governor’s mansion.
Hof’s domestic partner, Heidi Fleiss, lamented to reporters that “it’s too bad that he didn’t get to see this through.”
The American pimp even had aspirations of becoming governor one day, citing President Trump as one of his chief inspirations. His campaign for office took a hit in September when the Las Vegas Review Journal reported the “Art of the Pimp” author was being investigated for sexual assault.
“Three former prostitutes previously had accused Hof of sexual assault,” reports CNBC. “But prosecutors did not file charges against Hof because the statute of limitations had expired in each case.”
Hof emphatically denied the allegations. “It’s this sort of muckraking in the political cesspool that keeps so many good people from running for office,” he told the newspaper.
Hof was married to his high school sweetheart and had two daughters with her; they have been estranged for years.