In the this-is-what-politics-has-come-to category, an Arizona congressional candidate has received national attention thanks to a giant horse penis.
Hundreds of thousands of Internet readers from coast to coast now know the name of Arizona hotelier and rancher Gary Kiehne, a GOP candidate for Congressional District 1 -- but not due to anything he stands for, said, or did.
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Instead, writers of blogs and news sites have focused on the impressive length of equine anatomy that can be seen dangling in the background of a recent mailer Kiehne put out.
Kiehne's running against challengers Andy Tobin and Adam Kwasman in August 26's primary election. The winner will face former Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, in the November 4 general election.
CD1 encompasses most of eastern and northern Arizona, and the ad's photo plays up the state's most basic stereotypes. Kiehne and two men, all wearing cowboy hats, their arms propped up on the bed of a pickup truck, stand chatting near a corral with several horses. As mentioned, one stallion's penis is sure to be noticed by anyone who views the picture. Maybe people who are around horses all the time become desensitized to such zoological wonders, but it's difficult to believe that Kiehne and the makers of the ad didn't realize the horse had the potential to become a focal point.
Readers of reddit.com began remarking about the ad 10 days ago, starting a parade of one-liners that blog authors later continued on dozens of popular Internet sites.
"His last endorsement should have been: 'AND I'M NOT DICKING AROUND WITH YOU,'" says one Reddit reader.
"The understated, nearly subliminal, show of male potency and phallic power is used to increase the individuals [sic] appeal to the audience," says another.
Tucson Weekly chimed in about the ad on Monday with the article "Gary Kiehne Gets Biggest Endorsement of Them All."
Various (mostly liberal) blogs and news site caught on a couple of days ago:
Americans against the Tea Party: "GOP Congressional Candidate Doesn't Notice MASSIVE HORSE C*CK on Campaign Flyer"
New York Magazine: "The Conservative Choice for Congress Is This Giant Horse Dick"
Wonkette: "An Advocate for Penile Reform: Arizona Congressional Candidate Gets Endorsement From Visibly Aroused Horse"
Bar Stool Sports: "GOP Candidate Gary Kiehne With a Powerful New Campaign Ad, Just Kidding There's a Huge Horse Cock in the Background That Is Incredibly Distracting"
New Times attempted to get a comment from Kiehne to see what he thinks about this offbeat national exposure -- which, by the way, is kinder than the attention he received in May after remarking that most mass shooters are Democrats. He later apologized for the statement. The woman who took our message at his campaign headquarters seems to be moving at Pony Express speed; we'll update this post if we hear from him.
Got a tip? Send it to: Ray Stern.
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