Republican candidate stripped of endorsement after Ashley Madison membership found
A HOUSE candidate in has lost his state GOP endorsement after admitting he once signed up for the Ashley Madison dating website, which caters to "bored men and lonely housewives."
The governing body for the state Republican party rescinded its support for Air Force veteran Joe Dills last night, according to the .
Dills, a candidate in the upcoming Clermont County primary, admitted last month that he signed up for Ashley Madison in 2013 when he was single.
The dating service, which boasts more than 50 million members, sets up customers with people who are married or in relationships.
"It was not an easy time in my life, as I had just finished serving and my first marriage had come to an unfortunate end," Dills wrote in a statement on Jan. 24.
"At this time seven years ago, I was a single man and made the mistake of signing up for Ashley Madison, an online site to connect with women for inappropriate relationships."
He said the decision "was wrong - there is absolutely no way around it."
"It was a moment of weakness that I deeply regret. I am, and always will be, embarrassed by that decision.
Dills, who has since remarried, said he never used the site to "actively meet" with anyone.
Last month's statement also criticized the personal attacks that were made against him and his family.
"This is why good people don't run for political office," he said.
State Republican leader Jane Timken had previously asked Dills to drop out of the race, saying he "crossed a line by joining this lewd and inappropriate website."
However, Clermont County GOP head Greg Simpson told the Enquirer that many local Republicans are not outraged.
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"Believe it or not, by an overwhelming majority, they didn't care," Simpson told the newspaper.
Dills is running against former U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt and NRA instructor Dillon Blevins in the primary.
The state GOP will not endorse any of the candidates, according to the Enquirer.
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