Joe Arpaio, controversial sheriff pardoned by Trump, enters Arizona Senate race
Joe Arpaio, the Republican former Maricopa County sheriff known for his hard-line immigration tactics, says he's running for Senate.
"I have a lot to offer. I'm a big supporter of President Trump," Arpaio told the Washington Examiner in an interview kicking off his campaign. "I'm going to have to work hard; you don't take anything for granted. But I would not being doing this if I thought that I could not win. I'm not here to get my name in the paper, I get that every day, anyway."
Arpaio was defeated in the 2016 election after 24 years in office as sheriff. He was convicted last year of criminal contempt for defying a court order to stop racially profiling Latinos but was pardoned by President Donald Trump, whose presidential campaign Arpaio had supported, in August before serving any jail time.
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GOP Sen. Jeff Flake is retiring, setting up a fight among top Arizona Republicans for the nomination.
National Republicans appear poised to land their top recruit for the seat: Rep. Martha McSally is set to holds events Friday in Tucson, Phoenix and Prescott where she'll make what's being billed as a "special announcement."
Arpaio and McSally would join Kelli Ward, the conservative state senator who drew 40% of the vote in the 2016 primary against Sen. John McCain, in the race.
Ward is supported by a super PAC funded by the GOP megadonor Mercer family. She was also backed by Steve Bannon -- though Ward distanced herself from the former White House chief strategist after Bannon's comments in a new book drew condemnation from Trump.
The Democratic candidate in a race that represents one of the party's best pick-up opportunities on the 2018 midterm map is Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.
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The Gayly 1/9/2018 @ 4:00 p.m. CST