A Democrat candidate in Arkansas has admitted to moonlighting as a male stripper in the past who source claimed went under the name 'Metro Express'.

John Burkhalter, who is vying to become lieutenant-governor in Little Rock, said he took on the gig while he was also buying cows for 17 acres of land he owned and was trying to make ends meet.

The married father-of-two daughters admitted in an interview last week that he had used his athletic physique to turn his hand to exotic dancing.

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Magic Mike? Democrat candidate for Arkansas's Lieutenant-Governor John Burkhalter, pictured at a food festival in August, revealed in an interview last week that he used to be a male stripper

Burkhalter, pictured left with his wife Penny at a charity ball in September along with other guests. He is hoping to become the next lieutenant-governor for the state of Arkansas

He told 5News: 'I’ve always been an athlete, and I was actually buying cows from a farm.'

On an online chatroom called Old Chippendales, one user called 'very married', wrote: 'John was once a major body-builder and moonlighted as a male stripper in so-called straight strip joints in a low-end southern Chippendale style circuit.

'He wore white tuxes with tails and handed out long stem roses to ladies, then took everything off.'

His stripper name used to be Metro Express, according to one commenter on the Arkansas Times.

MailOnline did not receive a comment today from Mr Burkhalter's campaign.

Rumors about the Democrat's stripper job first emerged when an automated call which referenced his past was placed to the homes of Arkansas residents last year.

Mr Burkhalter graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in civil engineering in 1980. He grew his small firm into a company across 27 states with hundreds of employees.

He has made no secret about his hard-working past saying that he had jobs hauling railroad ties from box cars, cleaning theaters and working in chicken plants.

The politician and his wife, Penny, have two young daughters.

Mr Burkhalter is up against Republican U.S. Representative Tim Griffin for the Arkansas lieutenant governor's office.

The two are vying to become the state's No. 2 leader along with Libertarian Chris Olson. The office has been unoccupied since Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Darr stepped down in February amid an ethics investigation.

The politician pictured on the campaign trail earlier this year with his wife and daughters. He admitted during an interview last week