Wyoming Republican state Senator Anthony Bouchard, who is running against U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney for her House seat, has publicly said that he got a 14 year old girl pregnant when he was 18.
Bouchard first brought up the incident during a Facebook Live stream on Thursday. He said he decided to speak about his past after learning that a political opposition research company and a reporter were looking into him. He then confirmed the details to the Casper Star-Tribune.
According to the newspaper, Bouchard said he married the girl after she turned 15. CNN reported that the couple was able to marry under a Florida law that let a judge approve a marriage when a pregnancy was involved and a parent consented. That law was banned in 2018.
In the video, Bouchard described the situation as a story of two teenagers, compared it to Romeo and Juliet, and said there was pressure to end the pregnancy, which he said he refused to do. He also said he has “almost become” estranged from his son, but that he still loves him.
Bouchard said the marriage ended in divorce about three years later.
Despite the disclosure, Bouchard says he is staying in the race. “Bring it on,” he said, adding that his record stands on its own.
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