Dead brothel owner victory; Texas woman voted and died
A morning-after portion of post-election discussions involves takeaways from results.
It’s more for the giftedly gabby pundits who cultivate abnormal ideas which somehow gains them reputations as savvy savants.
While Republicans expanded their Senate advantage and Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives, a victory that will slow President Donald Trump, one incredibly interesting event occurred when Republican Dennis Hof, a brothel owner, defeated Democratic opponent Lesia Romanov for Nevada’s 36th Assembly District seat.
The Hof victory would mean nothing except for the fact that he died on October 16 after an extended weekend of parties for his 72nd birthday. Hof owned several brothels, including the Love Ranch where porn actor Ron Jeremy and a prostitute found his body.
Winning as a dead person certainly trumps all urban legend allegations of dead Chicagoans posting votes — more than once on Election Day.
Hof starred in the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse” and accessed his inner Donald Trump with a book entitled “The Art of the Pimp” which connected to Trump’s famous “Art of the Deal” book.
Nevada state law kept Hof on the ballot as Republican leaders urged voters to vote for the dead guy in order to maintain control of the legislative seat. County officials will name a replacement.
Deceased candidates have claimed political victories in the past with one owning a connection to Princeton. On October 16, 1972 Reps. Nick Begich (Alaska) and (Thomas) Hale Boggs (La.) traveled in a twin-engine Cessna 310 in Alaska from Anchorage to Juneau when it vanished.
Also on board were Russell Brown, a Begich aide and pilot, Don Jonz. They went missing for three weeks as Election Day arrived.
Boggs, whose daughter Barbara Boggs Sigmund served on the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders and served as mayor of the Borough of Princeton from 1983 to her death in 1990, and Begich gained victories. Boggs ran unopposed while Begich claimed a 12-point victory.
A search ensued for 39 days before authorities ended recovery efforts. Neither the wreckage of the plane nor the pilot’s and passengers’ remains were ever found.
Conspiracy theories developed as Boggs, who served on the Warren Commission which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, discounted the Commission’s single-bullet, single-shooter determination. Theorists said Boggs suffered death to stop his investigation of the Kennedy death.
In 2000, Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan ran against incumbent Republican Sen. John Ashcroft. Carnahan boarded a twin-engine Cessna airplane piloted by his son, Randy, who lost control in rainy and foggy conditions. The plane crashed on a forested hillside, interestingly on October 16, the same date Boggs’ plane went missing in Alaska.
Missouri election law would not allow Carnahan’s name to be moved from the November 2000 ballot. His widow, Jean, fronted as the real candidate, as supporters cultivated an “I’m Still With Mel” campaign. Carnahan posthumously won by a 2-percent margin. His wife served until November 2002.
In 2002, Rep. Patsy Mink died from pneumonia but still managed to claim a death-defying House of Representatives victory. Amazingly, politicians who die before elections, generally deliver victories.
In a political twist, 82-yearold Gracie Lou Phillips voted for the first time last week in North Texas then died from pneumonia several days later. A report said Phillips “danced a jig around her walker” and shouted, “I voted.”
Phillips passed away surrounded by loving family members on Monday. Her two major political choices gained victory on Tuesday as Texas Gov. Greg Abbot (R) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R) were elected.