This Congressman Likes Bigfoot Erotica, But We’re More Concerned About the White Supremacy
2018 has been a really weird year, especially politically. But, for once, the weirdest news isn’t about Donald Trump. Yesterday afternoon, the Democratic candidate in Virginia’s Fifth District Congressional race accused her opponent, Denver Riggleman, of being “a devotee of Bigfoot erotica.” But as strange — and, honestly, hilarious — as that is, it focuses on the wrong thing. Instead of the Bigfoot erotica, we should probably be focusing on Denver Riggleman’s ties to white supremacy.
Yesterday afternoon saw Democratic candidate Leslie Cockburn post a tweet with a screenshot of Denver Riggleman’s (now private) Instagram account:
My opponent Denver Riggleman, running mate of Corey Stewart, was caught on camera campaigning with a white supremacist. Now he has been exposed as a devotee of Bigfoot erotica. This is not what we need on Capitol Hill. pic.twitter.com/0eBvxFd6sG
— Leslie Cockburn (@LeslieCockburn) July 29, 2018
In the post Cockburn does mention Riggleman’s ties to white supremacy but focuses on the more salacious ties to Bigfoot erotica.
Denver Riggleman claims the posts in question were a joke from his friends. He says “My ‘buddies’ thought this pic was fitting for my birthday next week and to celebrate my new book release in a month or two … Mating Habits of Bigfoot and Why Women Want Him.”
Riggleman added that he posted the images because they amused him and he never thought they’d be used against him politically.
Denver Riggleman has written a book about Bigfoot titled Bigfoot Exterminators Inc.: The Partially Cautionary, Mostly True Tale of Monster Hunt 2006. That said, those who have read the book say it’s definitely not erotic. But Mating Habits of Bigfoot is an actual book — the Riggleman campaign released a statement describing that book as “satire.”
Though the Bigfoot erotica story is definitely strange, thinking of Bigfoot as a sexual being doesn’t hurt anyone. White supremacy does hurt people, and we’re legitimately concerned about that.
Denver Riggleman has campaigned with Isaac Smith, who co-founded the group Unity and Security for America with Jason Kessler. Kessler is best known as the man who organized last year’s Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Unite the Right was a white supremacist rally during which a counter-protester was murdered.
Though Riggleman condemned the Unite the Right rally in an op-ed, he has been criticized for refusing to condemn Corey Stewart, a Republican Senate nominee. According to The Washington Post, Stewart has a history of partnering with people with “extreme racial views,” then disavowing them and claiming he didn’t know what they believed when people call him out on it.
As always, Chuck Tingle had the most insightful take on the situation. Himself the author of some Bigfoot erotica, Tingle tweeted this last night:
please understand thinking bigfoot is handsome is NORMAL but being a devil is not. this is slippery slope please judge based on character not on hardness around bigfoot WE ALL GET HARD AROUND BIGFOOT https://t.co/vcQBVvA3VB
— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) July 30, 2018
dear @LeslieCockburn please stick to discussing an opponents scoundrel character. there is PLENTY wrong with DENBER WIGGLEMAN, but there is nothing wrong with getting hard for bigfoot or having other preferred pound that may seem unique. please prove love and reconsider this way pic.twitter.com/i8i0hCByZx
— Chuck Tingle (@ChuckTingle) July 30, 2018
