Iowa GOP Candidate Derek Wulf Denies Hookup Site Leak

Iowa Republican Derek Wulf, a candidate for state lieutenant governor, is firmly denying claims that he created an account on the hookup website Adult Friend Finder. The allegations, pushed by a progressive political action committee, rely on data from a massive 2016 cyberattack that exposed millions of users and has been widely linked to identity thieves.

What are the allegations against Derek Wulf?

Wulf is a third-generation cattle farmer from Hudson, Iowa, who lives with his wife, Dresden, and their two children. The couple married in 2006. He was recently named as the running mate for Iowa GOP gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn. Both candidates have built their platforms on traditional family values.

Last month, the progressive research group American Bridge 21st Century highlighted data from LeakCheck.io, a cybersecurity platform. The data showed an Adult Friend Finder account linked to an email address associated with Wulf was exposed during a security breach. It remains unknown if Wulf actually created the account, or if someone else used his email address, and the account's current status is unclear.

How is the Lahn campaign responding?

The Lahn campaign is aggressively pushing back against the narrative. Luke Thompson, a strategist with the Lahn campaign, confirmed that Wulf denies setting up the account with the email tied to his phone service. Thompson emphasized that the data breach is a notorious target for bad actors.

Anyone can set up an account for anyone. This is a database that has routinely been used by identity thieves to set up accounts.

Thompson referenced a similar situation involving Ohio Republican Senator Bernie Moreno. In that case, an Associated Press report linked Moreno to an Adult Friend Finder account seeking