Well, this should be interesting. The Phoenix New Times has dropped a bombshell on at least one congressional race, outing Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, with his former lover, who happens to not be the country legally, providing images of Babeu’s Adam2Adam profile and incriminating text messages. To make the story more Tucson-relevant, the story also involved Rep. Matt Heinz:
Openly gay Tucson state Representative Matt Heinz was one of two Democratic lawmakers who broke ranks with the party in March 2011 and voted to give Babeu $5 million to combat border violence. Other lawmakers opposed the measure, in part, because Babeu’s county is at least 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure finally was pared down to $1.7 million and passed by the Legislature.
About a week after Heinz’s nod to Babeu, the sheriff spent the night at Heinz’s home, text messages that Jose shared with New Times show.
“I’m at Mat Heinz and his boyfriend for dinner & ice cream . . . we are going out to bar and . . . to their house. [Am] staying over,” Babeu texted to Jose at 1:04 a.m. last April 2.
Heinz didn’t immediately return a phone call seeking confirmation of the sleepover.
Clearly, Sheriff Babeu should be free to live his life in whatever manner he likes sexually, but it’ll be interesting to see how this is received among his generally very conservative fanbase, especially consider it appears he knew of his lover’s immigration status when they were dating.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2012.
Babeu was very outspoken about Eric Holder committing perjury when testifying about “Fast and Furious”. Looks like retaliation. Ah, the press in Arizona…
Reality needs to get a better writer. This storyline is just not believable.
@mbryan well you better believe it honey! Geez I’m am just so over politics…these
People representing us..where the hell do they come from? I am so proud of being out in my profession, i am so deeply disappointed in self-hating homosexual hipocrites
Oh, man! I like Matt Heinz. I hope the article is wrong about his involvement with Babeu. But if it’s true, I will lose respect for Heinz and question his judgment forever.
You left out one of the major points of the article… that to keep his ex from going forward with this expose of his personal life, Babeau and his attorney threatened him with deportation. His sexual orientation is a non-story as far as I’m concerned…it’s how far he’ll go to cover it up as well as his lack of judgement in other areas of his personal and professional life that’s the issue here.
Knew Babeau was gay – didn’t know he was a blackmailer.
The New Times story provides pictures and text messages between the two lovers. Babeu is not denying the story. Now he’s saying he was abused by a priest as a boy, hence his bad behavior. This just gets better and better.
Politcs continue to make strange bedfellows according to the story
“Babeu was very outspoken about Eric Holder committing perjury when testifying about “Fast and Furious”. Looks like retaliation. Ah, the press in Arizona…”
u do realize that this is the top political story of the day and this article is being link in various threads around the world. in other words thousands of people are now thinking lol@u.
I cant wait to see what the Mormon mafia has to say about this.
Republicans are nothing if not hypocritical!
So if a Democrat is gay and we’re supposed to praise him for his courage, but if a Republican is gay he’s a hypocrite and we’re supposed to demonize him?
I guess it’s only gay-bashing if the gay person is a liberal.
Stop trying to circumvent the truth, you Rethugliarcons! The issue is not that the sheriff is gay but that he tried to use his power to blackmail his lover Jose after fearing exposure while at the same time supporting Romney, anti-immigration and anti gay. Rethugliarcons hypocrisy is so sickenly sad. They talk out one side of their mouth about family values while at the same time doing just exactly the opposite in the dark.
Apparently you don’t know your history. We had an openly gay senator for many years here in CD8. I think he won four times and then retired. His name I believe was Kolbe. Your hatred, lies and rhetoric don’t stand up to the facts.
I don’t live in his district so I can’t vote for Babeau. If he doesn’t win it will be because of his immature sexual behavior not the fact that his behavior was targeted to the gay community. If he posted to strange women; pictures, sexual comments and such, it would be just as disgusting and immature. This behavior does not induce a voter to have confidence in the man. If he goes to DC, we will hear many more such stories because he will have more power, more money and become more corrupt. We have enough perverts in Washington; gay, straight or in between is irrelevant.
well what is so amazing to me is that what is really important about this article hasnt been mentioned yet here in this comment section which is:Openly gay Tucson state Representative Matt Heinz was one of two Democratic lawmakers who broke ranks with the party in March 2011 and voted to give Babeu $5 million to combat border violence. Other lawmakers opposed the measure, in part, because Babeu’s county is at least 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The measure finally was pared down to $1.7 million and passed by the Legislature.
About a week after Heinz’s nod to Babeu, the sheriff spent the night at Heinz’s home, text messages that Jose shared with New Times show.
if that is not enough corruption what is? really the part about the miffed gay lover is really a non issue compared to this! But then i guess we are so used to the corruption that we no longer even flinch!
Saw this online yesterday via the Washington Post. I couldn’t believe it! He’s been on my radar for over a year now and I knew there was something going on. He’s even more disgusting than I thought. When the WP sited the Phoenix New Times I knew it was true. Hypocrite. Grrrr….I made sure to share on Facebook w/everyone I know! While Mr. McCain at least played coy, Arpaio threw him uder the bus!!!! That’s OK, Arpiao’s next on the list.
@ Lisa: Kolbe didn’t come out of the closet until his last term and that is because OUT Magazine beat him to the punch. He really had no intention of reporting it publicly, and yes, there were many who turned their backs on him, including the Gospel Rescue Mission here in Tucson. I personally am happy to see him living his life as he should be, now that he isn’t in office. I can’t imagine what he went through trying to keep that a secret.
The only gay republicans that are despicable are the ones that write anti-gay agenda legislature, despite their own homosexuality. The Log Cabin Republicans, while tinged with self-loathing, are at least up front about it.
Best B-Buds, Hmm…What happened to the $1.7 Million?
This whole story seems very Fishy to me.
So he pushed for his buddy to get $5 million and then he slept over at his buddy’s house. Well how cozy! Good to know our elected representatives are not in the least bit corrupt or greedy.
Dont forget he carries a 7in cut pistol and buzzed body !!