42 Best of phoenix 2023 | WWW.bestofphoenix2023.c0m | septemBer 28, 2023 immigrants to the U.S., he knows exactly what he’s doing and the kind of racism and hatred that he’s stirring up. During the GOP primary, Masters accused “the left” of wanting to “change the demo- graphics of this country,” adding, “They want to do that so they can consolidate power and so they can never lose another election.” In other words, if you’re a bigot, vote for Masters because he’s pro-white, right? This is the kind of racist crap Southern politicians used to spew during segregation. We’d advise Masters, who remains politically ambitious, to do better, if we thought it’d do any good. Hopefully, his words will stick to him like Scotch tape for the rest of his career in politics. Best Voice of Righteous Indignation DADDY SATAN (NOELLE CAÑEZ) If some wicked-ass scientist combined the DNA of Rob Zombie, Wes Craven and Clive Barker, added in some stem cells, and injected it all into an artificial womb, the result might resemble Gothic drag king Daddy Satan (real name Noelle Cañez). When the Mesa resident is not onstage drooling blood and scaring the bejesus out of audiences, she’s helping to organize her LGBTQ+ pals into a pro-drag army to take on some real evil — specifically, Republican attempts to ban drag and otherwise torment the gay community with hostile legislation at the Arizona State Capitol. Cañez’s Daddy Satan persona is truly heart-attack-inducing, but her message is righteous and uplifting. “Drag is all about self-expression, love and teaching people that it’s okay to be gay, straight, trans, a performer — it doesn’t matter,” Cañez told Phoenix New Times in January. She pointed out that there is “a huge drag community” in Arizona, and that many, including straight people, enjoy the art of drag. “If drag is limited, not only will people see less art, they will not be able to express themselves.” Thankfully, pro- LGBTQ+ Gov. Katie Hobbs made sure those hateful bills bit the proverbial dust. Now it’s time for Daddy Satan to run for the state legislature. Best Defamation Suit We’d Like to See the Discovery On NORTON V. SCHWEIKERT Comic books, peach emojis, insinuations about a rival’s sexuality? Hey, it’s all par for the course for your average vicious Arizona Republican primary. It’s also part of a lawsuit filed by GOPer Elijah Norton against U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who bested Norton by about 10,000 votes in the 2022 Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District. As you would expect, the Norton campaign made much of Schweikert’s being sanctioned by the U.S. House with an official reprimand in 2020 over the misuse of his office’s funds and campaign finance violations. The lawmaker admitted to 11 allegations and agreed to pay a $50,000 fine. In 2022, the Federal Election Commission fined him $125,000 over similar accusations. All this and more was detailed in a comic book published by Norton’s campaign. For its part, Schweikert’s campaign put out mailers featuring a photo of Norton, his arms around another man, with the header “Elijah Norton Isn’t Being Straight With You.” There were also road signs featuring the photo, stating “Elijah Norton, unfit for Congress.” (A peach emoji was apparently used by Schweikert loyalists online to imply … something.) Schweikert’s pulled this sort of smear in other campaigns, but this time, Norton wants him to pay. Norton hired bulldog attorney Dennis Wilenchik and filed a defamation suit, asking for $300,000 in damages, saying the smear is false and has caused emotional distress. The suit was still ongoing as Best of Phoenix went to press. If it continues, we’d love to see the discovery, especially Schweikert’s deposition, because the Congressman has a lot of explaining to do. Best Wrong-Way Political Comeback TOM HORNE How did the dodgiest Arizona Attorney General of recent memory slime his way back into public office, besting incumbent Democrat Kathy Hoffman to become Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, a position Horne once held before moving over to the AG’s office in 2011? Hoffman was a bright, fresh face, a former teacher and speech-language
