2008 Woodie Awards
Texas politician fingered in college streaking incident
Lisa Falkenberg / Associated Press Writer
Issue date: 10/14/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
DALLAS (AP) _ The gloves have come off in the match between U.S. Reps. Pete Sessions and Martin Frost. And every other article of clothing appears to be fair game as well.
Democrats on Monday circulated old newspaper clippings of a 1974 college streaking stunt staged by hundreds of students at Southwest Texas State University, including an 18-year-old Pete Sessions.
Sessions, a conservative Republican who wrote a column condemning Janet Jackson's nude display during this year's Super Bowl halftime performance, apparently bared his bottom with about 300 male and female students on the streets of San Marcos during the two-night rampage.
Two streakers were arrested the first night, leading to a clash with police in which students damaged a police car in protest, The San Antonio News reported at the time. Newspapers were filled with nude photos and headlines such as ``Dudes, Broads, Bare Bods.''
Southwest Texas students were apparently trying to break a streaking record set by another university amid a nationwide college streaking craze.
Sessions' campaign isn't denying the congressman's public nudeness.
``Congressman Sessions' old school days are long gone,'' said Sessions' spokesman Chris Homan. ``He recognizes it as an immature action of an 18-year-old college freshman.''
But Frost's campaign is holding Sessions' bare bod to the fire.
``Pete Sessions exposed himself to children and strangers,'' said Frost spokesman Justin Kitsch. ``He's exposed himself as a hypocrite as well.''
Sessions' spokesman dismissed the comparison of Sessions' juvenile acts to those of Jackson, who revealed her breast in front of millions of Super Bowl watchers at the finale of a halftime performance with singer Justin Timberlake.
This isn't exactly the kind of exposure the four-term Republican wants in the final three weeks of a tight race with Frost, a 13-term Democrat. The two incumbents are battling for Republican-leaning Dallas area District
32 in what is expected to be the most expensive race in the country.
Southwest University is now called Texas State University. Sessions later transferred to Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he graduated in 1978.
Democrats on Monday circulated old newspaper clippings of a 1974 college streaking stunt staged by hundreds of students at Southwest Texas State University, including an 18-year-old Pete Sessions.
Sessions, a conservative Republican who wrote a column condemning Janet Jackson's nude display during this year's Super Bowl halftime performance, apparently bared his bottom with about 300 male and female students on the streets of San Marcos during the two-night rampage.
Two streakers were arrested the first night, leading to a clash with police in which students damaged a police car in protest, The San Antonio News reported at the time. Newspapers were filled with nude photos and headlines such as ``Dudes, Broads, Bare Bods.''
Southwest Texas students were apparently trying to break a streaking record set by another university amid a nationwide college streaking craze.
Sessions' campaign isn't denying the congressman's public nudeness.
``Congressman Sessions' old school days are long gone,'' said Sessions' spokesman Chris Homan. ``He recognizes it as an immature action of an 18-year-old college freshman.''
But Frost's campaign is holding Sessions' bare bod to the fire.
``Pete Sessions exposed himself to children and strangers,'' said Frost spokesman Justin Kitsch. ``He's exposed himself as a hypocrite as well.''
Sessions' spokesman dismissed the comparison of Sessions' juvenile acts to those of Jackson, who revealed her breast in front of millions of Super Bowl watchers at the finale of a halftime performance with singer Justin Timberlake.
This isn't exactly the kind of exposure the four-term Republican wants in the final three weeks of a tight race with Frost, a 13-term Democrat. The two incumbents are battling for Republican-leaning Dallas area District
32 in what is expected to be the most expensive race in the country.
Southwest University is now called Texas State University. Sessions later transferred to Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where he graduated in 1978.