Update: Wolf has been accused of physical and emotional abuse by multiple people, and other aspects of his record are also in question. You can read more details on those allegations here.
Benjamin Thomas Wolf’s Tuesday was a study in contrasts.
The Democratic congressional candidate for Illinois’ Fifth District spent part of his day at a senior center, playing bingo and courting elderly voters ahead of the March 20 special election.
But Wolf’s other campaign activity that day was much more… adult.
Wolf placed a campaign ad on Pornhub this week, becoming the first political candidate to ever advertise on a porn site.
— Benjamin Thomas Wolf (@benjaminwolfBTW) March 6, 2018
“We are going where young voters are,” Wolf told Observer.
Indeed, 78 percent of Pornhub users are under the age of 40 and three-quarters of them are men.
Ironically these same statistics apply to cannabis users. And since marijuana legalization is one of Wolf’s main platforms, Pornhub reached out to him about a political partnership.
“It’s important to have a progressive voice to move the country forward,” Wolf said. “We’re reaching out to young people to get them to vote. If young people vote, they can get anything they want.”
Not only do the demographics match up, but Pornhub’s vast reach also gives it potential as a political tool. The site caters to 81 million people every day according to its own statistics—hardly a flaccid number.
“We are going where young voters are,” Wolf said. “Their heads are buried in their phones, their eyes are on screens and I am speaking directly to them.”
The ads are geotargeted to Chicago and spread across all general porn demographics to appeal to as many people as possible. Wolf’s spot is one of 10 Pornhub ads in the Chicago area.
Pornhub has not responded to an Observer request for comment.
Wolf served as a national security investigator for the FBI and then as a special agent and diplomat for the State Department, training Iraqi military troops. He also supports universal healthcare, solidarity with Israel and an assault weapons ban.
But marijuana legalization is especially close to Wolf’s heart. He sees it as both a criminal justice reform measure and an economic engine for Illinois. Almost three-quarters of voters in Chicago alone support legalizing weed.
If Wolf gets to Washington, his crusade will fly in the face of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ marijuana crackdown. And he’s fine with that.
“Jeff Sessions is enforcing federal law, but I am here to change that law,” Wolf said. “You cannot stand in our way any longer.”
Despite his progressive stance, Wolf’s embrace of Pornhub comes with some risks. Other porn-based voting efforts such as Mic’s “69 the Vote” have been called “cheesy,” “suggestive” and “mortifying.”
But Wolf isn’t worried at all.
“It’s worth the risk,” he said. “I have nothing to lose here.”
