Former Tucson City Councilman Rocque Perez has launched a campaign for the Arizona State Senate, according to his campaign materials and social media accounts, signaling his intention to enter the 2026 legislative race.
In an October 2025 exposé, the California Globe reported that Perez removed multiple social media accounts after members of the public identified explicit content and comments associated with social media profiles tied to him on platforms including OnlyFans, TikTok, Instagram, and X. According to our reporting, the material had been accessible online for several years and was removed around the time of Perez’s appointment to the Tucson City Council.
Before being appointed to the Tucson City council, Perez served as an executive director of a nonprofit education organization affiliated with then–congressional candidate Adelita Grijalva and her father Raul Grijalva, according to public reporting. After the allegations and complaints against Perez surfaced, the nonprofit was renamed as the Southern Arizona Education Council.
Prior to his immediate and unanimous confirmation to the Tucson City Council, Perez was serving as the Executive Director of The Metropolitan Education Commission (MEC), Adelita Grijalva’s K-12 education foundation that her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva founded in Tucson, Arizona. Perez was hired by the MEC in February, 2024. The foundation receives both public and private funds. Adelita Grijalva currently sits on the board and was recently elected to congress in a special election with 70 percent of the vote.
The Globe received a file of the disturbing images and comments (see below) made by Perez in 2020, but remained visible for years to young students, his employers, and the Tucson City Council until he scrubbed/deleted his accounts earlier this year. The scrubbing of his social media accounts occurred around the time of Perez’s appointment to the city council.
Perez promoted sex worker “SophieASlut, who billed herself as the “craziest and filthiest whore in the universe.” Sophie self-administered a fatal overdose of GHB, a known “date-rape” drug in 2023. Under his former @localanthony X account, Perez invites his “big boy” Only Fans subscribers to watch him masturbate, and in a later post (below) he invites boys to “come and count my shots” and “guess how far my shots went.” All of these posts were visible to the public, including young, underaged students.
In another post with the caption “trying to summon the twink,” Perez promotes an illegal drug used by homosexual men that can involuntarily expand the anus of a young male. A “twink’ is a homosexual, teenage boy as young as 13.
(Screenshot provided by source)
Does anyone want to count or guess how far his shots went?
(Screenshot of Rocque Perez aka @localanthony provided by source)
Perez’s campaign website identifies him as a candidate for the Arizona Senate and outlines policy priorities focused on public safety, economic opportunity, and education. His scrubbed social media profiles now describe him as running for the state Senate, indicating he is seeking the seat in Legislative District 20, which covers portions of the Tucson area. In a statement posted to Facebook on Dec. 17, Perez wrote:
Tucson raised me. Now I’m stepping forward to fight for it.
I’m running for the Arizona State Senate in LD 20 to stand up for working families, young people, and a future that doesn’t leave our community behind.
In a Republican-controlled legislature — especially in the Trump era — good representation has never been more imperative. For me, that means defending the right to thrive for every Tucsonan, even from a fellow Democrat that prioritizes corporate interests and international posturing over our own.
As we head into the holiday season, I’m inviting you to sign my petition and invest in the journey ahead!
As of publication, Perez has not yet filed a Statement of Interest with the Arizona Secretary of State, the first formal step required before candidates may begin circulating nominating petitions for state office. A review of the Secretary of State’s public candidate filings portal did not list Perez as a declared candidate for the Arizona State Senate. Campaign materials and social media accounts, however, indicate he is preparing a run for the seat.
Arizona legislative candidates must file a Statement of Interest with the Secretary of State before collecting nominating petition signatures and later submit a sufficient number of valid voter signatures during the statutory filing window to qualify for the ballot. As of publication, Perez’s candidacy has not yet been independently confirmed through official state filings, and major Arizona news outlets have not reported on the race.
Both Perez and Congresswoman Grijalva did not respond to our requests for comment.
Megan Barth is the Executive Editor of The California Globe and former, founding editor of the Nevada Globe. Specializing in investigative reporting, her work has appeared in national and local news. The highlights of her career include interviewing President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and FBI Director Kash Patel. When she isn’t editing, writing, or talking, you can find her hiking and relaxing in Northern Nevada.
Who would vote for this POS? Low information voters!