In this ramped up, amped up, clamped up billion-dollar special interest and partisan fueled drama of a mid-term election, there is one race in Nevada that definitely deserved our attention. It isn’t because the winner of Nevada’s 36th Assembly District, an area of desert that stretches from Utah to California, was a Libertarian turned Republican. It wasn’t that the winner was well into his 70’s when he won his first political office. It wasn’t even that the winner was technically a pimp, owning multiple brothels in the state.
No, it was that the winner is dead, having passed after a weekend of heavy partying at one of his places of business almost a month ago.
Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov in yesterday’s election for the seat. Voters seemed determined to keep the historically Republican seat in GOP hands, handing him a decisive victory with a 63 – 37% vote.
Since he owned a gaggle of brothels, I bet the victory party was a real barn burner; or would have been if the dude hadn’t died last month. I suppose the win was a bit more somber as a result of that.
Hof was found dead October 16th in one of his business locations, the Love Ranch, about an hour outside of Las Vegas. It was reportedly after a weekend of heavy parties celebrating his 72nd birthday. The birthday party was reported to have lasted four days, with “notables from the sex industry and political world.” His body, according to reports, was “discovered by porn actor Ron Jeremy and a prostitute at the brothel.”
Cause of death has not been determined, but officials don’t suspect foul play. They just can’t figure out why he died with a smile on his face. I wonder if he was exempt, or if the death could be compensable under workers’ comp, since he was technically, well, you know, at work.
Hof was also a reality TV star and author. He starred in an HBO adult reality series called “Cathouse” and wrote a book titled “The Art of the Pimp.”
Very original title, yet I don’t know why it has such a familiar ring to it.
Good news for Republicans in the county, as they now get to keep that seat in their control (to the extent Republican politicians have been able to control anything to any significant degree). County officials are expected to appoint a Republican replacement for Hof. That seems preferable to propping him up in his seat in the House and putting dark sunglasses on him; although that has apparently worked well for Nancy Pelosi and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so who am I to judge?
While, as a conservative who generally believes any Republican win is a good win, and not one to normally feel sympathy for a vanquished liberal candidate, I cannot help but feel for poor Ms. Romanov. Imagine pouring your life and soul into a campaign only to lose to a dead guy who made his living selling women for sex. That just has to sting a little.
Even in Nevada.