Is Bigfoot erotica the next big book trend?

A congressional candidate has accused her opponent of being into “Bigfoot erotica,� and the internet lost its mind.

The heretofore obscure literary genre of Bigfoot erotica has become an unexpected issue in a contentious congressional race. Will bestseller lists be next?

Leslie Cockburn, the Democratic candidate for representative for Virginia’s 5th District, accused her Republican opponent, Denver Riggleman, of being a “devotee� of racy fiction starring Sasquatch.

Cockburn’s accusation seems to be inspired by a since-deleted Facebook author page featuring a self-published book called “The Mating Habits of Bigfoot and Why Women Want Him.�

Riggleman told the Washington Post that it was an “anthropological book sort of based on parody and satire,� and denied having any lewd and lascivious interest in the mythological creature.

And while he admitted to a longstanding interest in Bigfoot, Riggleman told the New York Times he wasn’t aware that Bigfoot-themed pornography even existed.

“I didn’t know there was Bigfoot erotica, even with all my Bigfoot studies,� Riggleman said. “I thought this was such a joke that nobody would ever be dumb enough to think that this was real, but I guess her campaign did.�

Cockburn’s accusation set the internet on fire, predictably, with Twitter users quick to post their takes on the sexy controversy:

The interest in Bigfoot erotica has boosted the genre on Amazon. Carrie High’s “Bigfoot Knocked Me Up: The Complete 10 Book Set� — one of the very few erotic Sasquatch books with a title that can be printed here — was ranked No. 175 in the horror erotica subcategory early Tuesday, soon climbing to No. 83 in erotica/science fiction, No. 86 in erotica/interracial and No. 51 in the Kindle store subcategory of erotica/transgender.

Meanwhile, Chuck Tingle, the prolific erotica provocateur, has a new ebook available on the site — “Don’t Vote for Virginia Congressional Hopeful Denber Wiggleman Because He Is Full of Hate, Not Because Bigfoot Makes Him Hard.� It’s the No. 1 new release in erotic horror.