Dead US Republican Brothel Owner Wins Election in Nevada

The candidate for Nevada’s state legislature died last month but his name remained on the ballot.

A Republican brothel owner won the United States’ midterm election race for the Nevada state legislature Tuesday. However, the man will not be serving as he died last month.

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Dennis Hof, who had just turned 72, post-humorously defeated Democratic candidate Lesia Romanov with 68 percent of the vote in the race for the 36th Assembly District of Nevada.

He died on Oct. 16, two days after his birthday. However, his death came too late for electoral officials to take his name off the ballot.

Per state law, county officials will appoint a replacement candidate from the same party to fill his seat. 

Hof, a reality-TV star who proclaimed himself to be an "American pimp," owned a strip club and five legal brothels in Nevada. Nevada is the only state in the U.S. where prostitution is legalized.

Inspired to get into politics by U.S. President Donald Trump, Hof described himself as the "Trump of Pahrump", after his town in Nevada.

In a June interview, Hof said his political fortunes had parallels with those of U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reports.

"This really is the Trump movement," Hof said from his brothel Moonlite BunnyRanch. "People will set aside for a moment their moral beliefs, their religious beliefs, to get somebody that is honest in office."

Chuck Muth, Hof's campaign manager, was one of many who predicted last month that the candidate would win.

"There are a lot of Republicans who were uncomfortable voting for Dennis because of the nature of his business and they now know that he is not the one who will be serving," Muth said.

“They will feel much more comfortable casting the ballot for him knowing there will be another Republican to replace him," he added.

Hof was found dead by his friends when they went to wake him up for a meeting. It was hours after his 72nd birthday party, Muth said on Twitter. He said Hof appeared to have died in his sleep.

The Republican candidate was three times divorced and the author of the book "The Art of the Pimp."