By Staff Reporter |
Years after losing a primary election to State Rep. Walt Blackman (R-LD7), Steve Slaton is still finding ways to challenge him — even if it means deriding Black Americans as “apes” on social media.
Blackman issued a press release on Friday calling on his fellow elected officials and community leaders to condemn the rhetoric.
“Depicting Black Americans as apes and portraying an entire race as a societal problem is racist and dehumanizing. Leaders should have no difficulty saying so,” said Blackman. “Political considerations must never become an excuse for tolerating racial degradation. Our children are learning from what adults say and what leaders tolerate. They deserve to see courage expressed through respect for others and a willingness to speak when silence would be easier.”
Slaton’s social media posts in recent months have characterized Blackman and other Black Americans as “North American Pavement Ape[s]” who are a “problem” for the country.
Slaton unsuccessfully challenged Blackman in the Republican primary for the Legislative District 7 seat in the 2024 election. During that messy primary, the Navajo County GOP discovered evidence that Slaton was committing stolen valor.
Slaton claimed to be a decorated combat veteran who served in the Vietnam War, but service records reflect that he enlisted after the war. Slaton reportedly provided an altered DD-214, the official government discharge papers reflecting a service member’s military service, to portray himself as an attack pilot and Special Forces member.
Slaton initially defended his false claims of military service but has since deleted that commentary.
“I am a Vietnam combat veteran – no left wing smear campaign will ever deny that fact. These people doing this are doing to me what the liberals did to my fellow Vietnam veterans decades ago when they returned – spitting on them and mocking them,” said Slaton.
Slaton lost that primary, but he didn’t quit the race. He issued advertisements seeking voter support as a write-in candidate for the November 2024 ballot. Arizona law prohibits primary election losers from qualifying as write-in candidates in a general election.
The 2024 showdown between Slaton and Blackman was years in the making. Blackman unsuccessfully sought an injunction against Slaton in court in 2023, alleging Slaton had harassed him, his family, his donors, and his legislative staff for more than six years.
After winning the election, Blackman introduced the Stolen Valor Act to make it a criminal offense in Arizona to impersonate a veteran for benefits. That act passed the legislature and was signed into law in April 2025.
Slaton then turned around and accused Blackman of stolen valor.
In social media posts last fall, Slaton and his wife, Karen MacKean-Slaton, accused Blackman of lying about receiving a Bronze Star Medal with valor designation. Military records confirm that Blackman did receive a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service during Operation Iraqi Freedom II; Blackman denies that he ever claimed to have received the individual valor designation with that award.
Blackman sued Slaton last December for defamation.
Slaton returned the favor with a lawsuit of his own that sought to disqualify Blackman from the ballot.
Slaton sued Blackman over unpaid fees for late or missing campaign finance reports.
The 17 most recent campaign finance reports due for the Committee to Elect Walt Blackman are late and have not been filed. These missing reports range from 51 to 1,624 days late, beginning with this most recent post-primary election report due in August all the way back to the 2022 – Quarter 1 report due in April 2022. Blackman’s candidate committee is currently suspended.
Only six of the absent campaign finance reports reflect fines incurred. Blackman currently owes more than $221,000 in late fines for these missing reports.
On Blackman’s other campaign finance profile, six reports were filed anywhere from one to 14 days late but are not missing. All six have late fines due, totaling $310.
The Maricopa County Superior Court quickly dismissed Slaton’s case due to procedural defects.
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