The Republican nominee for Congress in Virginia’s Fifth District elaborated on his beliefs surrounding the possible existence of a Bigfoot in a interview published Monday, after he was accused of peddling Bigfoot erotica by his opponent in the race.
Denver Riggleman, the nominated Republican to fill outgoing Rep. Tom Garrett’s (R-VA) seat, told the right-wing outlet CRTV’s Matt Kibbe that, though he’s “skeptical” Bigfoot exists, “we just think it would be cool if he was alive, because I’d love to just chat with him.”
Riggleman said he was fascinated by the different communities of Bigfoot believers, from the “Biological Entity Believers” to those who believe “Bigfoot can attack you with infrasound, like an elephant — I just want to let you know — or psychic terror vibes, to make you run through the woods and crash into a tree so they can drag you into the woods and create baby Bigfoots.”
“I came up with this myself,” he said of the classification system for Bigfoot believers.
It was unclear if Riggleman’s interview with CRTV, published Monday, took place before or after another with the Daily Beast, in which he said the title of his upcoming book, Mating Habits of Bigfoot and Why Women Want Him, would stay the same despite the new scrutiny from his Democratic challenger.
The Democratic candidate for Congress in that district, Leslie Cockburn, has accused Riggleman of being “a devotee of Bigfoot erotica.” That claim came after the Cook Political Report’s Dave Wasserman uncovered Riggleman’s niche interest in an article last week.
The Republican has maintained that his fascination is partly in jest:
Yes-I wrote a book about Bigfoot believers. Bigfoot pics by military bubbas are meant to be funny. I didn't know what Bigfoot Erotica was until @LeslieCockburn mentioned it. Weird things happening in her campaign-Let's stick to issues and Leslie's book. #bigfoot #DangerousLiaison
— Denver Riggleman (@Denver4VA) July 30, 2018
“I just found it incredible that they actually believe this,” Riggleman told CRTV, referring to Bigfoot believers. “I love the fact that I fought for that freedom that you can believe in any type of Bigfoot that you want. What is the true Bigfoot?”
Asked about the religious worship of Bigfoot, Riggleman said it was “a thing!”
“And I think these are good people,” he added. “They’re smart, they’re intelligent, and they want Bigfoot to be with them.”
He said later: “When you do anthropological studies, I think you’re misunderstood.”
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