Republican author of Bigfoot erotica wins Virginia congressional race

(Image credit: Dave Mangels/Getty Images)

published 7 November 2018

Republican Denver Riggleman defeated Democrat Leslie Cockburn to win Virginia's 5th Congressional District, in a race that garnered national attention this summer when it was revealed that Riggleman is the author of a book titled Mating Habits of Bigfoot and Why Women Want Him.

In July, Cockburn, whose daughter is actress Olivia Wilde, posted a screenshot from Riggleman's Instagram, which showed a naked, yet censored, Bigfoot. Cockburn revealed that Riggleman both campaigned with a white supremacist, Unity and Security for America co-founder Isaac Smith, and was a "devotee of Bigfoot erotica."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.