published, and said the allegations were false. A couple of months later, he dropped out of the U.S. House contest and ran for re-election as sheriff, winning by a wide margin. An investigation into the scandal by the Arizona Solicitor General’s Office found that Babeu broke no laws. In 2016, Babeu attempted a comeback, winning the GOP primary in the 1st Congressional District, only to be defeated in the general election by Democrat Tom O’Halleran. His term of office expired on Jan. 1. 2017, and he’s been as quiet as a church mouse since. Don Shooter Arizona state Rep. Don Shooter became the legislative poster child for the #MeToo movement when a string of women, including several of his fellow legislators, accused him of inappropriate sexual remarks and harassment. Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita was the first to call the Yuma Republican out, saying he’d made comments about her chest. Ugenti-Rita also alleged that, “At a conference, he came to my room uninvited with a six pack of beer. I never answered the door.” Shooter, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, denied the allegations. But more women came forward, including Mi-Ai Parrish, presi- dent and publisher of The Arizona Republic, who wrote an editorial in 2017 explaining that, in a meeting with her and an attorney, Shooter told her he’d done everything on his bucket list but one: “Those Asian twins in Mexico.” In author Tom Zoellner’s new book about the Grand Canyon State, “From Rim to River: Looking Into the Heart of Arizona,” Zoellner offered up Shooter as one of many examples of ‘Zona politicians behaving badly, contending that before the accusations, Shooter “had been a swag- gering time bomb for some time.” Zoellner noted that before the Arizona House voted 56-3 to expel Shooter, House Speaker J.D. Mesnard confiscated a handgun from Shooter’s office, as some feared Shooter would “react with violence.” Shooter didn’t and left the chamber escorted by security after a brief speech and a mic drop in 2018. Paul Gosar U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, the erstwhile dentist who represents Arizona’s 9th Congressional District, may be the only member of Congress to have six of his siblings denounce him and endorse his Democratic opponent, as they did in 2018. “We’ve got to stand up for our good name,” Gosar’s brother, David Gosar, said in one video. “This is not who we are.” Good try. That year, Gosar bested his Democratic rival by 38 points. His family may be embarrassed by his diehard support for Trump, his conspiracy-mongering and his anti-semitic dog whistles, but the people he represents in deeply red Western Arizona eat it up with a shovel. One day Gosar’s blaming the Jan. 6 insurrection on “leftist violence,” a year later, he up and takes responsibility for it, telling a Bullhead City Republican club, “I was the one who started the revolution.” Jeez, pick a lane, Congressman. Many of Gosar’s antics are truly horrible, like misidentifying the >> p 14 SHOOTER TOLD HER HE’D DONE EVERYTHING ON HIS BUCKET LIST BUT ONE: “THOSE ASIAN TWINS IN MEXICO.” Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County Sheriff, is again running for mayor of Fountain Hills. (Photo by Pablo Robles) 13 Jan 18th–Jan 24th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS |