RolePlaying GOP Candidate Takes Heat Over His Occult Fantasies
Vampires, live-action occult role-playing games and forcible sodomy/cocaine fantasies have become major issues in the GOP primary in Florida's 3rd congressional district. Bet you didn't think you'd read that when you woke up this morning. And no, this isn't an April Fools hoax. Jacob Rush, a 35-year-old attorney and former sheriff's deputy for Alachua County, Fla. announced last month he is challenging incumbent tea-party Republican Rep. Ted Yoho for Florida's 3rd congressional seat. Days later, according to the Miami Herald, an anonymous emailer began sending messages tipping off a local political blog to Rush's longtime participation in the occult fantasy scene, Mind's Eye Society, where players engage in both virtual and live-action roles, playing in a sort of Dungeons  Dragons world of magic, vampires and other supernatural creatures. In the community, Rush, whose other hobbies include acting, took on various personas with different names. According to Saintpetersblog.com, Rush wrote on a message board in 2010, under the moniker Chazz Darling, the following graphic post WARNING Not suitable for children, Rush responded to the news with a statement that brushed off the revelation as overhyped and irrelevant, calling himself a "straight shooter.", "As a practicing Christian, I am deeply offended that the opposing campaign and their supporters would take a gaming and theatre hobby and mischaracterize it," Rush said in a statement. "Bottom line there is nothing wrong with being a gamer. It's kinda nerdy, but North Central Florida deserves a legitimate debate on the issues instead of Ted Yoho's usual sideshow distractions.", Miami Herald