Candidate forced to defend crude slogan

HIALEAH, Fla., Oct. 13 (UPI) -- A city council candidate in Hialeah, Fla., is on the defensive after being criticized for referring to oral sex in one of his campaign slogans.

Hialeah City Council incumbent Jose ''Pepe'' Caragol, 76, used the slogan "If you like oral sex, vote Caragol for council" as part of his campaign for re-election, The Miami Herald said Saturday.

The slogan, which Caragol has uttered in Spanish during several TV and radio appearances, was quickly criticized by his campaign opponent.

"We should expect more out of our elected officials," Mercy Dominguez. "Is this supposed to be the person who is representing the best of Hialeah on the council?''

Caragol said the slogan represents his unusual style and that he never intended on offending anyone.

"People want to give it a negative interpretation, but anyone who knows me and my way of being knows that I didn't mean for the comment to degrade or offend anyone," he told the Herald.