(John Locher | The Associated Press) In this April 27, 2018, photo, owner Dennis Hof, left, jokes with madam Sonja Bandolik at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nev. A coalition of religious groups and anti-sex trafficking activists have launched referendums to ban brothels in two of Nevada's seven counties where they legally operate. Hof, a legal pimp challenging an incumbent Republican lawmaker Tuesday, June 12, says a push to ban legal brothels is political retribution.