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Tuesday, November 10, 2026Nov 10

Dead brothel owner wins election for Nevada legislative seat

In this June 13, 2016, file photo, Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel near Carson City, Nev., is pictured during an interview during a break in the trial of Denny Edward Phillips and Russell Lee Hogshooter in Oklahoma City. Nevada authorities said Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, that Hof, a legal pimp who has fashioned himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has died. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
In this June 13, 2016, file photo, Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel near Carson City, Nev., is pictured during an interview during a break in the trial of Denny Edward Phillips and Russell Lee Hogshooter in Oklahoma City. Nevada authorities said Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, that Hof, a legal pimp who has fashioned himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has died. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File) In this June 13, 2016, file photo, Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel near Carson City, Nev., is pictured during an interview during a break in the trial of Denny Edward Phillips and Russell Lee Hogshooter in Oklahoma City. Nevada authorities said Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, that Hof, a legal pimp who has fashioned himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has died. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

LAS VEGAS (AP) – A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has won a heavily GOP state legislative district.

Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov on Tuesday in the race for Nevada’s 36th Assembly District, which includes rural communities and large stretches of desert in the southern part of the state. County officials will appoint a Republican to take his place in the seat.

Hof was found dead Oct. 16 after a weekend of parties celebrating his 72nd birthday. Officials are still determining his cause of death, but they don’t suspect foul play.

Hof owned a handful of brothels in Nevada, the only state that allows them to legally operate.

He also starred in the HBO adult reality series “Cathouse” and wrote a book titled “The Art of the Pimp,” akin to Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal.”