Does this count as bad PR, or good?
John Paul Mitchell, a Republican candidate for governor, shares a Flickr photo account with his female roommate, and -- according to him -- she uploaded a picture of herself posing topless. A political consultant found the picture and published it along with critical comments, leading to an article by Casey Newton in the Arizona Republic.
The consultant, Kevin Spidel, has since taken down the picture.
John Paul will probably fare well in this micro-debacle. It inspired us to look at his Web site, where we found some of the candidate's views are kind of interesting.
Not only does the guy want to build a three-story-high, heavily fortified concrete or brick wall along every inch of the state's southern border, but he wants to name it "The Great Wall of Arizona." Perhaps he doesn't realize the Great Wall of China was itself a sieve.
On other issues, Mitchell seems to lean left. He supports same-sex marriage, believes in the right of gay people to adopt kids, and wants to bust cops who commit illegal searches.
And, of course, he's pretty liberal when it comes to living with chicks who like to pose naked.