February 20, 2012 | Sex & Society

Arizona sheriff outed in messy scandal

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu may have a tough fight to win a GOP nomination for an Arizona congressional seat, after being outed.

Babeu acknowledged his sexuality after a former lover released information about a ten year long relationship the two shared. The man, a Mexican immigrant, claimed that the sheriff threatened him with deportation should their relationship be made public.

Babeu has already made a name for himself on the national stage as a strong advocate for stronger border security, speaking out against illegal immigration and smuggling. And he said that, in spite of the allegations against him, he would continue to work for the nomination.

"This whole rumor, this whole idea of who I am in my private life has been shopped around," Babeu told reporters. "This was a way, the hook, of how this could be brought out, and to malign and attack a sheriff who does stand for conservative principals, who does enforce the law."

He denied all the allegations, save one. "I'm here to say that all the allegations that were in the story were untrue — except for the instance that refers to me as gay," Babeu said. "That's the truth — I am gay."

Babeu claimed the man was simply retaliating after a bitter break-up.

To add to the scandal, a picture he used on a gay hook-up site has also been released.

Political opponents seemed to relish the news. State Sen. Ron Gould said he believed Babeu's posting of pictures on what the lawmaker called a "homosexual hookup website" were a "Congressman Weiner type of moment."

"The real issue here is the poor judgment of a government official, posting those kinds of photos on a public website," Gould said.

Babeu should learn: the GOP prefers that one's scandals involve someone of the opposite sex, and absolutely no half-naked pics.

Arizona sheriff quits Mitt Romney’s campaign amid allegations of misconduct []

Sheriff admits he's gay amid allegations []