Robert Meza, Democratic State Senator, Threatens DREAMer With Defamation Lawsuit, Campaigners Say
Senator Meza claims Tony Valdovinos (above) made fun of him for being gay.
See Also: How Undocumented Immigrants Helped Change Phoenix's City Council Race
State Senator Robert Meza is being accused of threatening to sue a volunteer for fellow Democrat Raquel Terán, his primary opponent in the newly-created Legislative District 30.
Meza, who is openly gay, claims Tony Valdovinos, a 22-year-old undocumented immigrant, made some "derogatory remarks about [my sexuaility]" and called him an "evil monster" while canvassing for Teran in West Phoenix.
"If you're on the trail for your candidate you should behave in a professional manner," Meza recalls telling Valdovinos in a July 3 phone conversation. "What happens when you give false attacks on people...that's defamation of character and... in those situations people can be sued."
The senator claims some of his constituents told him that they heard Valdovinos make the offensive comments while the volunteer was knocking on doors for his opponent.
Valdovinos denies he made fun of Meza being gay or referred to him a monster, but does confirm that he received a call from him. According to Valdovinos, during the phone conversation Meza threatened to bring a lawsuit against him, never explaining why.
"I just have been telling people the truth," Valdovinos says. "Look, this guy [Meza] has the worst voting record, he doesn't stand up for our community, and that's part of the reason people don't know who he is."
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