Gay leather bar owner runs for governor in Texas

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The owner of a popular gay leather bar in Dallas has entered Texas’s governor’s race as a Democratic candidate.

Jeffrey Payne, who won the title of International Mr Leather in 2009, hopes to challenge the state’s current Republican governor, Greg Abbott, who announced his bid for reelection last week.

In a statement, Mr Payne said Texans are tired of the Governor wasting time on “trivial legislation”.

Last month, Mr Abbott called for a special 30-day session to work on a 19-item legislative agenda, including a “bathroom bill”, which would require students attending state-funded high schools to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender at birth. The special session began on Tuesday.

“Texas needs a Governor who believes in Real Texas Values, like integrity, honesty, freedom and independence,” Mr Payne said. “We need to stop wasting our time and money on trivial legislation and start investing in finding ways to help Texans, their families, and their businesses prosper.”

In an interview with CBS Dallas, Mr Payne said he does not think Texas voters will focus on his same-sex marriage – or, presumably, on his connections to the BDSM-tinged gay leather community.

Mr Payne intends to lend $2.5m (£1.9m) of his own money to his gubernatorial campaign, according to NBC News.

Even if the candidate may not be short on personal monetary resources, it could take a miracle for him to defeat Mr Abbot.

The last time Texas saw a Democrat win the governor’s seat was in 1991, when Ann Richards was elected. But all three of her successors – including George W Bush, who went on to become US president – have been Republican stalwarts.