Pimp Dennis Hof chosen by Republicans as candidate for Nevada state assembly seat
Brothel owner calls himself 'the Trump of Pahrump', where he lives, and has authored a book called The Art Of The Pimp
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A reality TV pimp who idolises Donald Trump has become the Republican candidate for a seat in Nevada‘s legislature.
Dennis Hof, who owns seven legal brothels, beat a three-term incumbent for the chance to face off against Democrat Lesia Romanov in November’s elections, and is likely to be the favourite.
Mr Hof’s holdings include the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, where the HBO reality programme Cathouse was filmed.
The 71-year-old calls himself “the Trump of Pahrump”, the name of the town he hopes to represent, and has written a book called The Art Of The Pimp, playing on the title of the US president’s own book The Art Of The Deal.
He even held a rally with Roger Stone, a long-time Trump adviser.
Celebrating his primary victory alongside infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss, he said: “It’s all because Donald Trump was the Christopher Columbus for me. He found the way and I jumped on it.”
Nevada is the only state in the union where prostitution is legal, and brothels operate mostly in rural locations there. They are banned in Clark County, where Las Vegas is located.
Mr Hof hit the headlines in 2015 when former basketball star Lamar Odom was found unconscious at his Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada, after a four-day, $75,000 stay.
If Mr Hof wins in November, he would not be the only brothel owner in elected office – Lance Gilman, the owner of the famous Mustang Ranch in northern Nevada, is a Storey County commissioner.
It comes after a coalition of religious groups and anti-sex trafficking activists launched referendums to ban brothels in two of the seven Nevada counties where they are currently legal.
The question will be on the ballot in Lyon County, where Mr Hof owns four brothels.
Activists are also gathering signatures to try to get the measure on the ballot in Nye County, where Mr Hof owns two more brothels in the desert outside Pahrump.
He painted the anti-brothel efforts as political retribution tied to his opponent, incumbent James Oscarson whom he defeated, but the hospital executive and the referendum backers deny any connection.
Mr Hof said he planned to downsize his business by selling off some brothels, and to focus more on politics.
Mr Oscarson and Mr Hof previously faced off in 2016 when Mr Hof ran for the seat as a Libertarian. Mr Oscarson won with 60 per cent of the vote.
Additional reporting by AP
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments