Helena, Mont.
The Republican candidate for a Montana Senate seat dropped out last week, saying Democrats had aired a television spot that suggested he was gay. The ad showed state Sen. Mike Taylor working as a hairdresser in the 1980s, wearing his polyester shirt buttoned low and applying lotion to a man’s temples. “It was character assassination,” said Taylor, a married father of two. Taylor was trailing incumbent Sen. Max Baucus in the polls. Tova Ravitz-Meehan of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said the ad accused Taylor of dodging taxes and had nothing to do with his sexuality. “The point of the ad was to shine a light on his business practices, which left a lot to be desired,” she said, “not to mention his taste in clothes.” Under state law, Taylor’s name will stay on the ballot, which means the Republicans will field no real candidate.
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