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 predator Tony Navarrete. Next to their images, the signs warn:
“Christine Marsh voted against prosecuting 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.
Marsh could not be reached for comment. 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 legislature” and elect a Republican governor in 2026. So far, NicoPAC has placed about 20 anti-Marsh signs around the Valley 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.
Nico Delgado, 17, says his NicoPAC has reeled in $6,000 in donations since the end of June.
Courtesy of NicoPAC
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 regulate 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 unincorporated 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.”
This sign appears to be completely fraudulent. Turn AZ Blue, one of the organizations credited as being behind, says it has nothing to do with the sign whatsoever.
TJ L'Heureux
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 Turn AZ Blue, which is defunct and registered to Glendale Community College teacher Brent Kleinman.
In a phone call, Kleinman said his group had nothing to do with the sign. Campaign finance records from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office indicate that the group has never received any donations or spent any money.
“At no point have I been approached or approved our organization to be tied to this in any shape, matter or form,” Kleinman said. He added that he now plans to place a bigger priority on shutting down his group.
In a statement provided to New Times, Marsh said the NAMBLA sign is "illegal and false," "sick and dangerous," and "minimize(s) pedophilia." She added that she and Gresham "have not received an endorsement from NAMBLA, and if we had, Karen Gresham and I would completely disavow it."
Marsh also noted that the sign is "not sponsored by a legal PAC, giving them free rein to lie without any legal repercussions because there's no way to track down the culprits." Taracena added that "making uncorroborated, harmful claims is what we’ve come to expect from the Arizona Republican Party,” although no evidence has surfaced that anyone associated with the GOP is behind the NAMBLA sign.
It’s unclear if Marsh’s campaign or the ADLCC is seeking to have Delgado’s signs or the purported NAMBLA sign removed. In a statement posted to social media on Oct. 7, the ADLCC lamented that the signs "have yet to be taken down." Phoenix public information officer Teleia Galavis said the city has received a complaint about the NAMBLA sign and is "currently investigating to determine if there is a violation."
As New Times reported last month, Arizona’s campaign sign laws are lax and rarely enforced.
Delgado seems to feel little guilt over his signs, however. In a response to the ADLCC and to Gresham, he posted a photo of himself next to the anti-Marsh sign that features Epstein.
"The LD4 democrats are losing it over our NicoPAC signs!" he wrote. "Cry more!"
