An Arizona Republican has been urged to drop out of the race for a seat in the state’s House of Representatives after allegedly misrepresenting his military record.
The Navajo County Republican Committee asked Steve Slaton, who is running to represent Legislative District 7, to end his campaign for falsely claiming that he was a Vietnam War veteran and that he had been awarded multiple military medals.
A veterans group said Slaton trained as a helicopter repairman, not as a helicopter pilot, and he was stationed in Korea in 1974. Slaton also did not join the U.S. Army until June 1973 — three months after the final U.S. troops pulled out of Vietnam, the Arizona Republic reported.
The Navajo County Republican Committee said he altered military discharge papers to falsely claim combat veteran status and showed “qualifications and awards which you have not earned.” Slaton denied the accusations as a “left wing smear campaign.”
A Gulf War veteran attends a Veterans Day ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on November 11, 2014, in Washington, D.C. The Navajo County Republican Committee is calling on a GOP candidate to drop out…
Getty Images/Win McNamee
In its letter to Slaton, the Navajo County Republican Committee said the accusations against Slaton “cast a shadow of dishonesty on your campaign, and by extension, on the Republican Party organizations in LD-7.
The group added: “While we believe in due process, you have canceled numerous opportunities to speak to constituents in LD-7 to address and defend these concerns.
“Furthermore, you have silenced and served cease-and-desist letters to some who wish to verify your military records.
“For these reasons, we respectfully request, for the good of the Republican Party, the conservative movement in general, military service members, and veterans, that you withdraw from the Republican Primary race for Representative of Legislative District 7.”
The Navajo County Republican Committee doesn’t endorse candidates in Republican primaries. However, during a monthly meeting on June 20, a vote was made by the committee to unanimously call on Slaton to withdraw from the LD-7 race.
In a statement posted on X, Slaton said: “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.”
Slaton’s statement was fact-checked by X’s “readers added context” feature, which posted evidence from the Stolen Valor veterans groups suggesting he never served in Vietnam and altered his DD214 papers.
Slaton has been contacted for further comment via email.
He also accused the Navajo County Republican Committee of being a “bunch of “RINO [Republican in name only] hacks.”
“It is about 10 losers with no real power to do anything. They get everything wrong and are about as irrelevant as the paper their phony letter is printed on,” Slaton added.
The Navajo County Republican Committee responded to Slaton’s statement online.
“Steve, it’s nice to finally hear from you. We would love to clear this up. Perhaps you can respond and provide evidence instead of attacking and blocking those who are questioning,” the group posted. “Is this how you will legislate?”
Slaton has been endorsed in the LD-7 race by Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers and Senate hopeful Kari Lake.
He is one of six Republicans seeking the GOP candidacy in the July 30 primary.
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