U.S. Rep. David Schweikert's allies have reached a settlement in litigations stemming from a series of slanderous campaign tactics used during the 2022 congressional primary. Republican Elijah Norton, who ran against Schweikert for Arizona's 1st Congressional District seat, has agreed to a $50,000 settlement over deceitful mailers and social media posts that implied he was gay. In a campaign that stretched the bounds of political mudslinging, one mailer featured Norton at a bar with another man, emblazoned with the message “Elijah Norton Isn’t Being Straight With You,” as reported by ABC15.
Caught in the middle of the controversy, political consultant Johnathan Huey admitted to controlling an anonymous social media account that smeared Norton with explicit sexual content. According to KJZZ, Huey, who helmed a political action committee opposing Norton, confessed under oath the allegations were fabricated to thwart Norton's campaign efforts. The settlement he reached, while monetarily tangible, reflects a deeper wound in the realm of civic engagement, where the truth becomes a casualty in the warfare of words.
"Campaigns are expected to get nasty," Norton told ABC15 in none more than the presidential race, usually being the mud-slinging arena these types of vulgar attacks are reserved for. He elaborated on the distasteful nature of the attacks, which slithered well below the belt of political discourse, saying, "But there's a certain level of nastiness that you can't go down toward." His pursuit of legal action was a statement against such unacceptable maneuvers in the chess game of politics.
In addition to the financial ramifications, Huey's contrition included a public confession of his deceitful tactics. In the statement obtained by KJZZ, he acknowledged that the attacks were based on lies and designed to damage Norton’s campaign. Norton, now serving as the Arizona Republican Party’s treasurer, commented on the attacks as being "vile and disgusting," hoping the legal conclusions would eschew future smutch campaigns. "The takeaway from this and my hope is going forward people will realize you can’t just make things up," said Norton.
While the settlement with Huey closes one chapter, Schweikert's office remains tight-lipped, providing no comment to ABC15's multiple requests. Chris Baker, a Schweikert campaign official, simply stated, "Not our lawsuit," in regards to the Huey settlement. Norton's reflection on the incident reveals his ambivalence on whether the sordid claims influenced the election's outcome, but he emphasized that the attacks unfairly dragged others into the fray, prompting his legal response.
The man who stood with Norton in the disputed ad also sought justice through litigation. For Norton, who has not ruled out future political engagement, the principle of integrity in campaigning takes precedence, advocating for dialogues that ascend from the gutters of slander. For now, he remains committed to steering the course of his business in the international market along a trajectory untarnished by the stains of political defamation.
