Shunned By Party, GOP Wisconsin Candidate Admits to Being Blackmailed for Gay Sex

Wisconsin dairy farmer Peter Schmidt is looking to make a career move to politics. He recently "won the Republican primary for Wisconsin's Assembly District 6 by 63 votes earlier this month," writes LGBTQ Nation. He will likely win in an overwhelmingly Republican district, though recent developments involving his private life may be a factor.

First, he has been censured by the county GOP headquarters because of a criminal conviction, reports the Green Bay Press Gazette.

Schmidt was charged with a felony but later convicted of criminal trespassing, a Class A misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a Class B misdemeanor, after an incident in which a worker on Schmidt's farm was choked in 2019. Schmidt pleaded no contest and was found guilty in 2021. A court sentenced him to two years' probation and ordered him to participate in an anger-management program."

But there is also the revelation that the conservative Schmidt was being blackmailed for consensual sex with another man, reports OnlySkyMedia.com. This was revealed when Schmidt went to the police in early 2020 to report that he was being blackmailed. "The unknown suspect was demanding $50,000... in exchange for not releasing a sex tape of Schmidt 'performing oral sex on another male.'"

According to that incident report, also obtained by OnlySky, Schmidt admitted the recording was real. He said he had been "in a relationship" with another man who worked on the Schmidt Ponderosa Farm, and that the tape in question depicted one of their "many" hookups.

"Peter Schmidt stated that this act happened while no one else was around( they were alone). This was a free and voluntary sexual act between the two of them. There had been many sexual encounters between Peter Schmidt and [his partner], however there was only one shown in the recording."

Schmidt knew nothing of the tape and learned of it through an untraceable phone call from someone demanding $50,000 or they would release the tape to Schmidt's family members.

OnlySky adds: "Schmidt negotiated the price down to $5,000 over the course of a couple days... but never actually paid it. According to the report, he then 'told his family of his life style choice... (homosexuality).' The case was closed just days later with no further action by law enforcement, because there just didn't seem to be any way to figure out where the messages were coming from."

What Schmidt thinks of LGBTQ+ issues could not be gleaned from his "Friends of Peter Schmidt" website. (We looked for a "Friends with Benefits of Peter Schmidt" page, but found none).

When contacted by WisPolitics.com, he responded:

"I was the victim of a crime, but I've put the matter behind me and I've focused on my faith. I am a strong conservative and Christian, but there was a brief moment I struggled with my sexuality. No one should be persecuted or smeared for their personal orientation."