8 Oct 24th-Oct 30th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Smear Job Arizona teen uses Jeffrey Epstein signs to go after state senator. BY TJ L’HEUREUX W hat does Phoenix Democrat and state Sen. Christine Marsh have to do with Jeffrey Epstein? If you’ve driven down Camelback or Indian School roads recently, you may have asked your- self that question. Among the clutter of campaign signs lining those roadways, Epstein’s visage greets drivers. On a spattering of red-and- yellow signs, the notorious sex offender appears alongside the mugshot of former state senator and convicted child sex pred- ator Tony Navarrete. Next to their images, the signs warn: “Christine Marsh voted against prose- cuting sex crimes against minors. Weird.” It’s an inflammatory and misleading statement — not just for the inferred connection to Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019. It’s made all the more notable for who is behind it. The signs are paid for by the political action committee NicoPAC. Behind that PAC is Nico Delgado of Glendale. He’s 17 years old. “Nobody’s used to this boldness,” Delgado told Phoenix New Times in a phone interview. Marcela Taracena, a spokesperson for the Arizona Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, called the signs’ claims “fictitious and unsubstantiated.” Delgado has already made something of a name for himself in Arizona politics. In January 2023, he teamed with Republican state Rep. Matt Gress to propose lowering the age requirement to run for state office, from 25 years old to 18. The bill was never fully considered by the state legislature. Still too young to run for office even if that measure had passed, Delgado is now focused on swaying voters through his PAC. NicoPAC has a slick and well-designed website, appears to include all the proper disclosures on its signage and stays current on its required financial filings. The PAC was registered on June 29 and reported $830.32 of donations in its latest campaign filing on July 19. About half came from Arizona — including about $312 from self-described stay-at-home mom Tatiana Pena of Phoenix, who is running for a seat on the Roosevelt Elementary School District Board. The rest came from across the country. Delgado attributes the out-of-state donations to his sizable social media following. Since the PAC’s last disclosure, Delgado said, it has raised at least $6,000. The next filing deadline is Oct. 15. Delgado said the PAC’s focus is to “stop the radical left from taking our state legis- lature” and elect a Republican governor in 2026. So far, NicoPAC has placed about 20 anti-Marsh signs around the Valley and is also targeting Mesa Democratic state Rep. Seth Blattman. Marsh, whose Legislative District 4 includes Paradise Valley and portions of Phoenix and Scottsdale, is taking on Republican candidate Carine Werner in the general election. Blattman, whose District 9 covers a large chunk of Mesa, is running on a ticket with fellow incumbent Democrat Lorena Austin. Both Marsh and Blattman narrowly won their seats in 2022. But while Delgado’s anti-Marsh signs may stand out to passing drivers, there’s a problem: They’re significantly at odds with the facts. The facts Did Marsh vote against prosecuting sex crimes against minors? Short answer: No. NicoPAC’s signs don’t cite a specific bill Marsh voted down, though Delgado told New Times that the signs refer to Senate Concurrent Resolution 1021, a bill that was sent to the November ballot as Proposition 313. The bill would require life in prison for anyone convicted of child sex trafficking — that is, sex offenders who have already been prosecuted. Some Democrats voted against the bill, warning that it could require life sentences for sex trafficking victims who were coerced into recruiting others. But Marsh was not one of them. She joined Republicans in support of the bill. When pressed on that inaccuracy, Delgado listed four other bills Marsh voted against. Two of them tried to heavily regu- late internet porn in a challenge to the First Amendment — one died in the Republican-controlled House, while another never passed either chamber. A third was a 2021 bill that would have banned gender identity and gender expression from being mentioned in school learning materials. The fourth would have criminalized drag shows. Both of those bills were vetoed by Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. All four have little, if anything, to do with prosecuting sex crimes against minors. The other side of the NicoPAC signs accuse Marsh of voting yes on Senate Bill 1305 to “keep racism in the classroom.” The 2023 bill, which passed on partisan lines and was vetoed by Hobbs, proposed oddly specific bans on certain teaching instruction. One line bans teaching “that academic achievement, meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or were created by members of a particular race or ethnic group to oppress members of another race or ethnic group.” “Certified senator? Certified racist,” the sign says, an apparent reference to the Kendrick Lamar song “Not Like Us.” Another sign targets Marsh Delgado isn’t the only one pushing the bounds of the truth or good taste to sink Marsh. Another sign targeting Marsh — with which Delgado has no apparent connection — goes even further. Visible on the median at Camelback Road and 24th Street, the sign purports to be an endorsement of Marsh and Democratic state representative candidate Karen Gresham by the organization NAMBLA. As in the infamous North American Man/Boy Love Association, an unincorpo- rated organization that advocates for pederasty. “VOTE CHILD CHOICE OF SEXUALITY,” the sign reads. It calls Marsh and Gresham “award winning tolerant educators” who “provided safe spaces at (Cave Creek) schools 4 students to explore.” The sign appears to be fraudulent. A line near its bottom says it was paid for by three groups, two of which — AZTolerence (sic) and US NAMBLA Chapter 7 — are not even registered as PACs in Arizona. The other group listed is Not only does Christine Marsh have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein, she voted in favor of the law Nico Delgado’s signs accuse her of rejecting. (Photo by Zach Buchanan) This sign appears to be completely fraudulent. Turn AZ Blue, one of the organizations credited as being behind it, says it has nothing to do with the sign whatsoever. (Photo by TJ L’Heureux) >> p 10 | NEWS | | NEWS |
