MN Sen. Paul Koering Not Letting a Porn Star Date Or GOP Defeat Stand In The Way Of Re-Election

Though he planned to duck out of the race to reclaim his seat (and politics altogether), gay porn star dater Minnesota State Sen. Paul Koering is instead using the loss of the Republican nomination to attempt a write-in campaign.

Losing the GOP primary to Paul Gazelka last month, Koering said he was going to ditch the Republican Party for good and find something else to do with this life. Then “hundreds and hundreds” of emails and phone calls poured in, and he’s changed his mind! Typical flip-flopper, ey?

Koering, who has represented District 12 for eight years, acknowledges his write-in bid is “an extreme uphill battle.” But he registered last week with the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office as a write-in candidate, a move that allows votes for him to be counted. Koering said he’ll actively campaign and raise funds in the race, though his name won’t be on the ballot.

After his August primary loss, Koering expressed relief that his political career appeared over. The bitter primary campaign saw the openly gay Koering face scrutiny for a date in Brainerd with a male porn star. But Koering says an “overwhelming show of support from many friends and acquaintances” spurred him to re-enter the fray. The support often came when he was running errands near his Fort Ripley home, Koering told the Times. “Wherever I went, people were telling me they were going to write my name in,” Koering said.

Now there’s just the small matter of Koering’s post-defeat endorsement. Upon losing, Koering backed Taylor Stevenson instead of Gazelka. Now, however, Koering would love your vote. And perhaps your phone number.