Dead Brothel Owner Wins Nevada Legislative Seat

By Rachel Yang

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Dennis Hof, the Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died in October , won the election for the state’s 36th Assembly District on Tuesday, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office said.

Hof, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Lesia Romanov by more than 7,000 votes. He was favored to win a seat in the state assembly after unseating a three-term incumbent during a June primary.

He was found dead Oct. 16 by an employee at the brothel he owned. According to state law, county officials must now appoint another Republican who also resides in the district to take Hof’s seat. The 36th Assembly District is situated in the south portion of Nevada, and includes portions of Nye, Lincoln, and Clark counties.

Hof, 72, had gained fame for appearing in HBO’s “Cathouse,” a reality series about his business. The Love Ranch brothel that Hof owned became notorious as the place where former Laker Lamar Odom was found unconscious in 2015.

Hof ran for office in 2016 as a Libertarian but lost, and this year he ran as a Republican and earned backing from Trump associate Roger Stone and anti-tax-increase advocate Grover Norquist.

The legal pimp had also been accused of sexual assault on at least four occasions. The Nevada Department of Public Safety had said it was investigating an allegation from September but has released few details. Hof had denied the claims.