Minnesota Dems Turn Against Lawmaker Who Hooked Up With 17-Year-Old

Kerry Gauthier

Minnesota legislator Kerry Gauthier endangered his party's chances of regaining control of the state House after news broke that he had hooked up with a 17-year-old boy.

The two were introduced through Craigslist and met up at a rest stop last month. The teenager later told police he had oral sex with Gauthier, a 56-year-old unmarried state politician representing the Duluth area. Gauthier's fellow Democrats are now calling on him to drop his reelection bid, even though a Republican win could endanger the chances of Democrats regaining the lower house of Minnesota's legislature.

"As I shared with Rep. Gauthier, I believe he should withdraw from the race for reelection," House minority leader Paul Thissen said in a statement.

Gauthier will not be charged with a crime, as the boy was over the age of consent. The politician has not spoken publicly about the incident but was recently hospitalized with an undisclosed illness.

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