Two years is apparently enough to revive the fortunes of disgraced, former congressional candidate and wannabe underwear model Sheriff Paul Babeu.
Back in 2012, my colleague Monica Alonzo revealed that the strident, anti-immigrants, Pinal County border hawk had been sleeping with his reputed enemy in the form of Mexican national Jose Orozco, a former boyfriend and campaign worker for Babeu, whom Babeu allegedly threatened with deportation to keep him quiet about their relationship and Babeu's sexual orientation.
Alonzo also reported that Babeu had been trolling for sex on the gay hookup site adam4adam.com under the name "studboi1," with a profile that featured a revealing selfie and a detailed description of the sheriff's penis ("7", cut," according to studboi1).
The story quickly became national news and effectively ended Babeu's bid to become a congressman from Arizona's Fourth Congressional District. Shifting gears, Babeu decided to stay put in Pinal County and run for sheriff again. He won, handily.
Fast-forward two years, and the once scandal-singed sheriff has begun a "Babeu for Arizona PAC," the website for which states as its goals: "to enforce all of our laws, raise awareness of the need to secure our US/Mexican border, and support like minded candidates in Arizona."
Tonight (Wednesday), the Babeu for Arizona PAC is having a fundraiser at Alexi's Grill in Phoenix. And the list of co-hosts for the party is, to say the least, intriguing.
These include, according to a flier for the event shared with me, gubernatorial candidate and Mesa Mayor Scott Smith, Arizona House Speaker Andy Tobin, and state Senate President Andy Biggs.
I would have thought better of Smith. At least, I would not have imagined that he would stand so brazenly, knee-deep in a cesspool, for all to see. (Or was he pulled into this sewer?) But so far, no one from his campaign has called me back to deny it.
Biggs, I'm surprised by, albeit for different reasons. Biggs is a right-wing purist of sorts. He's also a huge supporter of legislation emanating from the Center for Arizona Policy's anti-gay Death Star. (So is Tobin, but Tobin is more of a standard pol than Biggs.)
I've asked a spokesman for the Senate Republicans to make an inquiry to Biggs about the use of his name. If I get a reply, I'll update this post.
None of the political consultants mentioned in the flyer raise an eyebrow, of course. Their god is Mammon. If they think there's a buck in it somewhere or a favor to extract at a later date, they are at your command.
And Barry Goldwater, Jr.? Considering his scandals of yesteryear, Babeu's name might actually burnish his.
Sure, I'm aware people allow their names to be used in this way, as "hosts" of fundraisers, without it indicating any added commitment. To this point, it would be of interest to see who actually shows up tonight.
According the Arizona Capitol Times' Yellow Sheet, the PAC had not been properly registered with the Arizona Secretary of State, 'cause of a legal snafu.
The YS reports that the Arizona Attorney General's Office recently declared that the PAC was acting in "good faith," and so the PAC will be registered with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.
Well, um, if the AG's office doesn't have a problem with it, I'm sure everything's on the up and up.
And if Andy Biggs and Scott Smith can vouch for studboi1, who am I to quibble?
(Note: I have heard that some on this list may not want their names on this list, and I have some reason to believe this is true. But, again, I have no on-the-record demurrals from the involved parties. So what's a scribe to do?)
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