‘Bigfoot erotica’-lovin’ GOPer KOd

He was never your cookie-cutter Republican.

Rep. Denver Riggleman, perhaps best known for his affinity for “Bigfoot erotica,” lost his rural Virginia seat to a more conservative challenger after a chaotic drive-through convention that drew thousands of local Republicans and ended way after midnight Sunday.

Riggleman, a first-term lawmaker, also irked social conservatives by officiating at a samesex wedding last year.

He lost to Bob Good, now expected to be the GOP candidate in Virginia’s 5th District in November. Good took 58% of the votes cast by about 3,500 Republican delegates in the unusual contest, which GOP leaders chose instead of holding a primary in which voters cast ballots.

Riggleman cried foul over what he called “voting irregularities and ballot stuffing” at the convention, which stretched on for nearly 10 hours after it was supposed to be done by midafternoon Saturday.

Riggleman (inset) gained national notoriety when he ran for the seat in 2018 after Rep. Tom Garrett quit over a scandal involving alcoholism and his use of aides to perform personal chores. His fascination with Bigfoot became an issue in the race, with his Democratic opponent asking why he was obsessed with the genitalia of the mythical creature.

Riggleman, a member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, irritated evangelical Christians when he officiated the wedding of two former male campaign volunteers in 2019. Good ran on his defense of traditional marriage along with ending birthright citizenship.

Both men say they are strong supporters of President Trump. Riggleman’s ouster could open the door to Democrats flipping the district, which, like the rest of Virginia, is trending blue.