By Neal Broverman
Originally published on Advocate.com August 20 2012 6:16 PM ET
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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[2] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/20/kerry-gauthier-minnesota-sex-scandal_n_1813354.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay%20Voices&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008