It’s a triggering year to ask you to cast ballots again, just about a month out from the bad day. But we promise no election result will be disappointing this time around — because every single bad actor on this list is deserving of whatever they win.

TPM has a long history of celebrating those who use their status as public figures to enact harm on the public, line their personal pockets and engage in corruption so shameless and so dishonorable that it deserves to be commemorated. Some years, the revelry is weirder than others. 2024 has been a notably disgusting year for corruption and general con-artistry after Donald Trump himself was able to grift and gull his way back to the White House — bringing many of his most noxious toadies along with him, as well as some new characters.

But it’s not just Trump, and its not just corruption. The Dukes are here to celebrate those who put a new twist on the ancient tradition of acting oafishly in the political arena, from the local level to the global stage. It’s a mark of accomplishment in the field of public betrayals, venality and nonsense.

We asked for nominations for each of our Golden Duke categories last week, and, dear readers, you delivered. Now it’s time to vote.

Select which deceptive demon you believe is most deserving of the honor below. May the biggest buffoon win.

Best Scandal – General Interest

John Roberts & the right-wing justices, “for making Trump above the law while embracing his court’s own corruption.” — Reader submission

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and Trump’s newest lackey. “After all the insane right-wing conspiracies about George Soros, you have a foreign-born billionaire un-ironically helping buy a democratic election and gloating about it.” — Reader submission

The billionaire owners of the Washington Post & the LA Times, for suddenly deciding not to endorse for president and barely hiding their motives for changing precedent.

Donald Trump. If you have to ask why he’s nominated for a Duke, you’re a low information voter. 

Former Sen. Bob “Gold Bars” Menendez (D-NJ), for not learning his lesson the first time. The senator from New Jersey was indicted for the second time in 10 years on corruption charges, in a scandal for the ages that involved accepting bribes from Egypt, “cash sewn into his monogrammed Senate jacket, halal meat… very New Jersey in so many ways. Honorable mention for his bipartisan embrace of the Alito tactic of blaming your wife for everything.” — Reader submission

Best Scandal – Sex & Generalized Carnality

The Zieglers, once an anti-LGBTQ Republican power couple in Florida, who have both fallen from grace due to the revelation of their participation in “swingin’ threesomes” (fine, if hypocritical) by way of their third accusing Christian Ziegler of sexual assault (not fine). — Reader submission 

Matt Gaetz — the newly minted OANN host, ex-congressman, short-lived attorney general nominee and “probably the next governor of Florida” — for presenting such a toxic mix of alleged teenage-girl predation and good, old-fashioned assholery that he couldn’t hack it even in this Cabinet. — Reader submission 

Outgoing North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) for a Nazi fascination, extremely enthusiastic porn message board presence and approval of slavery so damaging that he actually gave Democrats an election to be excited about in 2024.

RFK Jr., for his many, many extramarital affairs, including with a certain high profile reporter. 

Best Scandal – Local Venue

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), the recently defeated congressman who is now reportedly gunning to be Trump’s DEA administrator, for employing both his mistress and his fiancee’s daughter in his office. — Reader submission 

Ryan Walters for “his entire existence as Oklahoma Superintendent” but specifically for his attempt to purchase 55,000 bibles (for 43,000 classroom teachers in the state) with specific requirements that few versions of the Bible appeared to meet. The exceptions? Two versions endorsed by Donald Trump at $60 and $90 a pop. — Reader submission 

New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) for buffoonery ranging from such relatively minor things as lying about being a vegan, about where he lives and about carrying a photo of a fallen officer in his wallet, to more major things such as allegedly committing bribery and campaign finance offenses in connection with members of the Turkish government. How would we describe Eric Adams in one word? Eric Adams. 

South Dakota Gov. and DHS Secretary Nominee Kristi “Dog Killer” Noem (R) who shot her puppy for the crime of killing chickens but not pheasants, and shot an unnamed goat so badly that she had to go retrieve another shell after leaving the animal wounded in a gravel pit. RIP Cricket and unnamed, but no less missed, goat.

Meritorious Achievement in the Crazy

RFK Jr., who deserves another nomination for when the “whale head weirdness pushed Kennedy and the dead bear cub weirdness out of the headlines.” — Reader submission

Nancy Mace, the supposedly “pro-trans” congresswoman who did a 180 on LGBTQ rights this winter after she realized she could get attention for othering the first openly trans incoming member of Congress.

Rudy Giuliani, “for being disbarred in two jurisdictions, filing a nuisance bankruptcy case, and then hiding assets from the two Georgia poll workers who won their defamation lawsuit against him.” He’s the gift that keeps on giving: even while facing moral and financial bankruptcy, he can’t help but entertain as he tries to bring the world down with him. — Reader submission

Russell Vought, “for Project 2025.” — Reader submission

‘I’m Going To Trump’s Cabinet And I’m Bringing …’

A new category to recognize the various scandals and fixations Trump’s Cabinet nominees bring with them to the nomination process.

Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon is bringing “a folding chair for detention: nothing says ‘disciplinary innovation’ like a steel chair in the classroom.” — Reader submission

Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is bringing “one bourbon, one scotch and one beer” — unless he’s confirmed, of course. — Reader submission

DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard is bringing “the salvation of Bashar al-Assad.” — Reader submission

HHS Secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy is bringing his deputy, the brain worm. — Reader submission

Best Scandal — World-Wide Wingnutery

A new category to note the global interplay of America’s Golden Duke-worthy politics and those abroad. Wingnutery is, after all, a major American export.

Tucker Carlson, the American political commentator, for “hobnobbing around the globe with his fellow fascists.” — Reader submission

Yoon Suk Yeol, the right-wing president of South Korea, for declaring martial law, then undeclaring martial law and apologizing when he saw the coup wasn’t going to work out.

Javier Milei, president of Argentina. “It’s got to be Javier Milei — the chainsaw, the dogs, the embrace of libertarianism to a degree barely even seen in the U.S. anymore.” (For those not familiar: the chainsaw is a prop Milei uses to talk about cutting government, he allegedly consults his dogs, who are named after economists, on political matters, and he claims to be an “anarcho-capitalist.”) — Reader submission

Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, the German aristocrat who bonded with, and ultimately invited to her house, Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito. The two share a “concern” about abortion, and the princess told the Times she hopes to similarly befriend Clarence Thomas.

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, who was indicted this year, along with much of his former government, for trying to do something pretty similar to Jan. 6, on Jan. 8, 2022, in his own country. We’ll see if the U.S.-Brazil parallels extend beyond the coup attempt itself to a lack of accountability for it.