CAMDEN, S.C. (AP) - A professional circus clown who ran for Congress last year has died in South Carolina.

  

An obituary from Kornegay Funeral Home of Lugoff, South Carolina, says 53-year-old Steve Lough died on Feb. 23. The funeral home did not say how he died.

  

Lough of Camden played up his career as a clown for Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus when he ran unsuccessfully in a crowded Democratic primary for the seat of Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman.

  

Lough's campaign website featured photos of the candidate in full clown makeup. His slogan was "Aim high! Vote Lough!"

  

The State reports that Lough launched his 2018 campaign saying: "They joke that the president and Congress are all clowns. Well, in my professional opinion, they are the worst clowns I've ever seen."