The Republican Mayor of Sandy, Oregon has argued that his past experience as a swinger makes him a better candidate in the GOP primary for the gubernatorial nomination.
Stanley Pulliam’s posts in a private Facebook group were leaked, prompting the mayor to tell his local paper that he and his wife “ultimately decided” that the lifestyle change “wasn’t for us” but that he’s “not ashamed” of the choices they “made in the privacy of [their] own home”.
Mr Pulliam, 40, told Williamette Week that they “explored relationships, mutual relationships with other couples, for a brief period of time” after a screenshot showed their participation in a swingers’ group in Portland.
“Several years ago, MacKensey and I, as a couple, explored relationships with other couples for a brief period of time before we ultimately decided to focus solely on each other, our marriage and our family,” he told DailyMail.com.
“And ever since, day in and day out, we’ve worked as a team to strengthen our family and to create a better community and state for our girls, and the hundreds of thousands of kids just like them, so they can safely grow up, live, work and stay right here in Oregon,” he added.
In addition to the Facebook posts, a 2011 photo from Portland’s Erotic Ball has emerged. The GOP primary is scheduled for 17 May. Mr Pulliam has a good chance of clinching the nomination and has said that he has no intentions of leaving the race.
Mr Pulliam told Williamette Week that the revelations are in line with the values on which he’s based his campaign. “In Oregon, we really cherish values of individuality and liberty,” he said.
“The decisions that we made were for MacKensey and I to make in the privacy of our own homes,” he added. “We’re certainly not asking anybody to participate or practice or do any of the things that we have decided to do in the past. But we’re also certainly not ashamed of decisions that we’ve made in the past either, as they’ve made us stronger.”
Mr Pulliam said the revelation has led to “very positive interactions” with supporters of his campaign.
“We have continually heard that people mainly care about MacKensey and I, and they just want to make sure that we’re handling this okay,” he said.
The story gained traction after a 2016 screenshot from the “Swinger Facebook Group PDX” was shared among people active in local politics.
“MacKensey and I are excited to be added to your little community. Some of you we have already had the pleasure to meet and we look forward to getting to know the rest of you!” the post in the screenshot states. The group had 536 members at the time.
Mr Pulliam has said that the 2011 photo from the Portland Erotic Ball was taken before the couple entered the swinging community.
“I think people can relate from all different parts of the state who have been involved in marriages,” he said. “There are different stages of marriage and different ebbs and flows. This is something that was for a brief period in our past and is in the past.”
“I’m a heterosexual male,” Mr Pulliam said in response to online suggestions that he’s bisexual. “And I’ve only personally engaged in heterosexual activity.”
He also rejected allegations that his campaign has been close to anti-LGBT+ groups.
He told Pamplin Media Group that he thinks that “whenever you run for a position like governor, you go into it with eyes wide open”. But he added that he continues “to believe this is a private matter”.
Mr Pulliam is a Trump supporter who has appeared to back the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
“I am the ONLY candidate who has the courage to say what needs to be said about the integrity of our elections,” he tweeted on 1 February. “If you want an ACTUAL conservative as your next governor then we need your help!”
He has also been critical of the Covid-19 public health measures instituted by Democratic Governor Kate Brown. The Sandy mayor sued the governor because of her executive order to shut down businesses to stem the spread of the virus.
Victor Atiyeh was the last Republican to serve as governor of Oregon, leaving office in January 1987.
Jim Moore, a professor of political science at Pacific University, has followed Oregon politics for decades.
“Donald Trump can get away with it,” he told Williamette Week. “Stan Pulliam – I don’t’ think he can. He’s still introducing himself to people. He’s raised nearly a million dollars – he needs to be spending a lot of it right now on pictures of flags and kittens and puppies.”
