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MAGA candidate lost primary, then asked for write-in votes
SHOW LOW, Ariz. - Republican Steve Slaton lost the 2024 Arizona primary election after being accused of stolen valor. So why did he ask voters to write him in as a candidate on the November ballot?
FOX10 obtained the radio spot paid for and approved by Slaton. The ad aired on multiple stations in Northern Arizona. Its message attacks the candidate he lost to in the primary, accusing his rival Walt Blackman of illegally obtaining Slaton’s military records.
Slaton doubled down in the ad, telling voters to write his name as the official candidate for Legislative District 7. But the "sore loser" law makes him ineligible.
FOX 10 tried speaking with Slaton back in June at the Trumped Store in Show Low, owned by Steve and his wife Karen Slaton.
Slaton was accused of stolen valor
Both of them did not want to talk to FOX 10 about the allegations of stolen valor. The Navajo County GOP discovered Slaton provided an "altered DD-214 claiming combat veteran status and showing qualifications and awards" he never earned.
FOX10 obtained those records through Guardians of the Green Beret and Guardian of Valor, veteran organizations that say Slaton misrepresented his military service in Vietnam and his claims of serving as a Cobra helicopter pilot.
But we found Slaton enlisted in the army five months after the US’ direct involvement in the Vietnam War ended. Documents pulled from the National Archives and Records Administration show Slaton didn’t go to Vietnam and wasn’t trained as a combat pilot. Instead, he served as a Cobra helicopter mechanic.
Steve Slaton at the Trumped Store in Show Low in 2017.
The former Republican candidate for Arizona State House has now accused the man he lost to in this year’s primary, of stealing his military records. Here’s one allegation made by Slaton in a radio ad that aired, calling out Walt Blackman.
"Blackman was so desperate and his voting record so bad he could not win another term," said Slaton.
Walt Blackman is running for Arizona State Representative in LD-7.
FOX10 interviewed Blackman about the ad, and asked why he believes Slaton went after him.
"You know, other than the fact that he's a sore loser like the law, that this guy has been going after me for years. So, I'm not surprised that he is doing this. I am surprised that he is still holding on to this tale, that he is a combat veteran from Vietnam," responded Blackman.
Blackman is the Republican nominee for State Representative in LD-7. Another man’s voice is used for Slaton’s ad as well.
"Do not let Blackman get away with stealing this election," the ad states.
Blackman beat Slaton in the primary election by approximately 9,000 votes. FOX10 Investigative Reporter Justin Lum asked Blackman if this type of rhetoric has to stop.
"It does. And actually, we see that on a national scale. We see candidates that will just say anything to get some noise or to get some recognition," said Blackman. "And the problem with Mr. Slaton is that he thinks he's Mr. Trump."
The message at the end of the campaign ad urges the public to vote for Slaton in the General Election.
"Vote on November 5th for Steve Slaton, the write-in candidate for LD-7 house. Paid for by the White Mountain Conservatives. I, Steve Slaton approve this message," states the ad.
According to the Arizona Secretary of State’s records, Steve and his wife Karen Slaton are the registered owners for the PAC "White Mountain Conservatives".
Slaton's PAC White Mountain Conservatives paid for ads
The contract for a rebuttal ad reveals the PAC paid around $2,000 for the spot to run 215 times on White Mountain Radio from October 1st to November 4th, one day before the General Election. It ran more than a dozen times before getting pulled because Slaton is not an official write-in candidate, per the Secretary of State’s office.
White Mountain Conservatives also paid KMOG radio on October 15th to air the ad but it ran just once. KMOG sent FOX10 this statement.
"The Slaton campaign informed us that he was a write-in candidate for LD7. After conducting our own investigation into the eligibility of a candidate who lost in the primary to act as a write-in, the ad was promptly discontinued. We have since attempted to contact Mr. Slaton, but he has not responded to any of our calls."
What is the "Sore Loser" law?
Tom Collins, Executive Director of AZ Clean Elections says the Sore Loser law prohibits someone from being a write-in candidate after losing in the "immediately preceding primary election and failed to be nominated in the office sought in the current election."
"It's not the College World Series. It's March madness. It's single elimination. And the winners advance, and the losers are done," said Collins. "There's a small exception. If the candidate who got to the General Election were to die and need to be replaced, you would be eligible for that. But you can't simply throw your hat back in the ring."
But Blackman is very much alive. Collins says voters in LD-7 need to be aware of misinformation like what’s said in Slaton’s ad because writing him in as a candidate is a wasted vote.
"You're throwing away your vote if you vote for someone who is not a recognized write-in candidate," said Collins.
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Slaton declined to comment
FOX10 called Slaton for comment but he said he had nothing to say.
"Losing an election and then trying to say that I had something to do with falsifying his military records and that I stole the election that he was in. It's outrageous. And it's bordering on, in my opinion, just dangerous. He's acting in a way that is unhinged, in my opinion," said Blackman.
We requested to see if Slaton filed to be a write-in candidate through the Secretary of State, but a spokesperson says there’s no record of that.
We also asked if Slaton could face repercussions for the radio ads.
They provided the following statement: