Hookers for Hillary

Last updated
Hookers for Hillary logo that was used on its Facebook page Hookers for Hillary 1.jpg
Hookers for Hillary logo that was used on its Facebook page

Hookers for Hillary was a semi-formal organization of Nevada-based sex workers who supported Hillary Clinton's candidacy in the 2016 United States presidential election. The group, which claimed a membership of 500 prostitutes, was not registered with the Federal Elections Commission as a political action committee and did not, therefore, directly provide political donations. Its members, instead, evangelized support of Clinton to their clients and, in some instances, reportedly offered enhanced sexual services to existing customers in exchange for direct donations to Clinton's presidential campaign. [1]

Contents

The organization centered its support of Clinton on her health care policy proposals and foreign policy experience. [2] According to a 2015 press release from the group, the perceived benefits of a Clinton foreign policy would include avoiding "a repeat of the Secret Service's Colombian prostitution scandal by making sure that her detail 'buys American'". [3] Some of its members had been previously affiliated with Pimpin' for Paul, an organization of Nevada-based prostitutes that campaigned for Ron Paul in the 2008 United States presidential election and 2012 United States presidential election. [1]

Members of the group were largely drawn from brothels owned by Nevada prostitution mogul and Libertarian Party member Dennis Hof, and the organization has been described as his "brainchild". [1] [4] [5] Hof said that one of his motivations was that he wanted his workers to get involved in politics, with some of them starting Hookers for Hillary and others forming the rival organization Tarts for Trump. [6] While stopping short of calling Hookers for Hillary a publicity stunt, Hof indicated that the group's existence helped build awareness for his businesses. [7] Nonetheless, despite characterizations of the group as a public relations ploy designed to drive media coverage of Hof's brothels, a reporter for The Guardian who interviewed Hookers for Hillary members described their support for Clinton as genuine. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libertarian Party (United States)</span> American political party

The Libertarian Party (LP) is a political party in the United States that promotes civil liberties, non-interventionism, laissez-faire capitalism, and limiting the size and scope of government. The party was conceived in August 1971 at meetings in the home of David F. Nolan in Westminster, Colorado, and was officially formed on December 11, 1971, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The organizers of the party drew inspiration from the works and ideas of the prominent Austrian school economist, Murray Rothbard. The founding of the party was prompted in part due to concerns about the Nixon administration, the Vietnam War, conscription, and the introduction of fiat money.

Prostitution in Nevada Policies regarding prostitution in the only state where it is permitted in some form

Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legally permitted in some form. Prostitution is legal in 10 of Nevada's 16 counties, although only six allow it in every municipality. Seven counties have at least one active brothel, which mainly operate in isolated, rural areas. The state's most populated counties, Clark and Washoe, are among those that do not permit prostitution. It is also illegal in Nevada's capital, Carson City, an independent city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillary Clinton</span> American politician and First Lady of the United States (1993-2001)

Hillary Diane Clinton is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senator representing New York from 2001 to 2009, and as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 as the wife of President Bill Clinton. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee for president in the 2016 presidential election, becoming the first woman to win a presidential nomination by a major U.S. political party; Clinton won the popular vote, but lost the Electoral College vote, thereby losing the election to Donald Trump.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostitution in the United States</span> History of prostitution in the U.S.

Prostitution is illegal in the vast majority of the United States as a result of state laws rather than federal laws. It is, however, legal in some rural counties within the state of Nevada. Prostitution nevertheless occurs elsewhere in the country.

Dennis Hof American entrepreneur (1946–2018)

Dennis Leroy Hof was an American brothel owner. He owned seven legal brothels in Nevada, most notably the Moonlite BunnyRanch. Hof was also a Republican candidate in 2018 for the Nevada Assembly, which he was posthumously elected to less than one month after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election</span> 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the United States senator from Virginia Tim Kaine, in what was considered one of the greatest upsets in American history. Trump took office as the 45th president, and Pence as the 48th vice president, on January 20, 2017. It was the fifth and most recent presidential election in which the winning candidate lost the popular vote. It was also the sixth and most recent presidential election in which both major party candidates were registered in the same home state, with the others being in 1860, 1904, 1920, 1940, and 1944.

Statewide opinion polling for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries

This article contains opinion polling by U.S. state for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries. For currency and accuracy, please note the specific dates for each polling as listed below. For the significance of the earliest state votes, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, see United States presidential primary – Iowa and New Hampshire. To know when any given state votes, see the timeline of primaries and caucuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries</span> Selection of the Democratic Party nominee

Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for president in the 2016 United States presidential election. The elections took place within all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad and occurred between February 1 and June 14, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States Senate election in Nevada</span>

The 2016 United States Senate election in Nevada was held November 8, 2016 to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Nevada, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. The state primary election was held June 14, 2016.

The following is a timeline of major events leading up to, during, and after the 2016 United States presidential election. The election was the 58th quadrennial United States presidential election, held on November 8, 2016. The presidential primaries and caucuses were held between February 1 and June 14, 2016, staggered among the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories. The U.S. Congress certified the electoral result on January 6, 2017, and the new President and Vice President were inaugurated on January 20, 2017.

The 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton was announced in a YouTube video, on April 12, 2015. Hillary Clinton was the 67th United States Secretary of State and served during the first term of the Obama administration, 2009 to 2013. She was previously a United States Senator from New York, 2001 to 2009, and is the wife of former President Bill Clinton, serving as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Johnson 2016 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, the 29th Governor of New Mexico, was announced on January 6, 2016, for the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. He officially won the nomination on May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida, receiving 56% of the vote on the second ballot. Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld was endorsed by Johnson for the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination, which he also received on May 29, 2016.

Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign Campaign by the Vermont Senator to become the 45th President of the United States

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders sought the Democratic Party's nomination in a field of six major candidates and was the runner up with 46% of the pledged delegates behind former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who won the contest with 54%. Sanders, the junior United States senator and former Representative from Vermont, began with an informal announcement on April 30, 2015, and a formal announcement that he planned to seek the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States on May 26, 2015, in Burlington, Vermont. Sanders had been considered a potential candidate for president since at least September 2014. Though he had previously run as an independent, he routinely caucused with the Democratic Party, as many of his views align with Democrats. Running as a Democrat made it easier to participate in debates and get his name on state ballots.

Debates occurred among candidates in the campaign for the Democratic Party's nomination for the president of the United States in the 2016 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign</span> Successful 2016 US presidential campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump was formally launched on June 16, 2015, at Trump Tower in New York City. Trump was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election, having won the most state primaries, caucuses, and delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He chose Mike Pence, the sitting governor of Indiana, as his vice presidential running mate. On November 8, 2016, Trump and Pence were elected president and vice president of the United States. Trump's populist positions in opposition to illegal immigration and various trade agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, earned him support especially among voters who were male, white, blue-collar, working class, and those without college degrees. Many voters in the Rust Belt, who gave Trump the electoral votes needed to win the presidency, switched from supporting Bernie Sanders to Trump after Hilary Clinton won the Democratic nomination.

2016 United States presidential election in Nevada Election in Nevada

The 2016 United States presidential election in Nevada was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Nevada voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. Nevada has six votes in the Electoral College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillary Victory Fund</span>

The Hillary Victory Fund was a joint fundraising committee for Hillary for America, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and 33 state Democratic committees. As of May 2016, the Fund had raised $61 million in donations.

Social Media played an important role in shaping the course of events leading up to, during, and after the 2016 United States presidential election. It enabled people to have a greater interaction with the political climate, controversies, and news surrounding the candidates. Unlike traditional news platforms, such as newspapers, radio, and magazines, social media gave people the ability to comment below a candidate's advertisement, news surrounding the candidates, or articles regarding the policy of the candidates. It also allowed people to formulate their own opinions on public forums and sites and allowed for greater interaction among voters. The accessibility of information online enabled more voters to educate themselves on candidates' positions on issues, which in turn enabled them to form unique opinions on candidates and vote on those opinions, ultimately impacting the election's outcome.

Alice Little is an Irish-American sex worker and YouTuber. Her stage name, Alice Little, refers to her height, which is 4'8", making her the "shortest legal escort" in Nevada, and consequently, in the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Collins, Eliza (February 17, 2016). "'Hookers 4 Hillary' goes all out in Clinton fundraising push". Politico . Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  2. Robison, Mark (February 17, 2016). "Hookers for Hillary's message spreads around the world". USA Today . Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  3. "Bunny Ranch workers endorse Hillary Clinton". Nevada Appeal . April 15, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  4. Amber Phillips (9 July 2015). "The Libertarian Party is backing a brothel owner. And yes, it supports legal prostitution". Washington Post . Retrieved 14 October 2015.
  5. Snow, Aurora (April 21, 2015). "Meet the 'Hookers for Hillary': Why Prostitutes Want Hillary Clinton for President". Daily Beast . Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  6. Rebecca Nelson (13 July 2018). "The Cathouse Pimp Running for Office Because of Trump Says He's the New Face of the Republican Party". GQ.
  7. La Ganga, Maria (February 15, 2016). "Hookers for Hillary: meet the sex workers caucusing for Clinton in Nevada". The Guardian . Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  8. Nelson, Libby (February 16, 2016). ""Hookers for Hillary" isn't about prostitution. It's about health care". Vox . Retrieved February 17, 2016.