There must be something in the congressional water.
The frontrunner in a special election to replace an Arizona congressman who resigned over sexual misconduct is now facing a sex scandal of his own, according to reports Tuesday.
Republican Arizona state Sen. Steve Montenegro — who was poised to take over disgraced Rep. Trent Franks’ position — allegedly had a steamy online relationship with an aide in which she sent him topless photos, according to the Daily Mail.
“Over the months, we began to flirt. I felt comfortable enough with the relationship that I began to send pictures of myself in various states of undress,” the aide, Stephanie Holford, said through her lawyer.
“Sen. Montenegro asked me to send them on Snapchat…We engaged in sexual conversation about these pictures. These conversations were detailed and intimate,” she added, according to the paper.
The accusations come after Franks resigned last month over an Ethics Committee inquiry into a claim that he allegedly offered a former female staffer $5 million to carry his child.
Franks is also accused of making unwanted advances toward female staffers in his office and retaliated against one who rebuffed him, according to reports.
On Tuesday, Holford — a junior state legislative staffer— also released a series of flirty text message exchanges, including one in which Montenegro said he “got all worked up” at a hearing and complained about another senator.
“Yup. He is a pain,” Montenegro wrote.
“Painful on the eyes too,” Holford said.
“Lol. I know I am,” Montenegro joked.
“No, that’s not true is all I’ll say … lol,” Holford responded.
Montenegro wrote back: “Well you are kind. But you work for the senate so you have to be nice.”
Montenegro denied having an “inappropriate” relationship with the aide.
“I have already made clear that Ms. Holford and I were friends, that while I allowed our friendship to become too familiar, and that she did, without solicitation from me, send me an inappropriate picture, I never had inappropriate relationship with her or anyone else,” he said, according to the Daily Mail.
The primary in the 12-candidate GOP field is Tuesday and the winner is expected to win the election in November.