Joe Arpaio announces candidacy for Arizona Senate seat ‘to support’ Trump ‘agenda and policies’
Arizona Republican Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County sheriff who became famous for his controversial stance on immigration, has announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, saying he wants to join Congress so he can help President Trump.
Arpaio made the announcement in a tweet on Tuesday, contending that helping Trump was his “one unwavering reason” for running.
Sheriff Joe Arpaio photo/ donkeyhotey
“I am running for the U.S. Senate from the Great State of Arizona, for one unwavering reason: to support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/joe-arpaio-running-for-senate-in-arizona/article/2645354 …” – @RealSheriffJoe
Arpaio is running for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeff Flake, a Republican who has been a critic of Trump and who announced in October that he would not seek re-election.
The former sheriff announced his plan to run for the Senate less than a year after he was convicted of criminal contempt — a crime for which Trump pardoned Arpaio in August, after holding a rally in Phoenix.
Arpaio told NBC News that he didn’t tell Trump about his decision ahead of time and that he is running because Washington needs “fresh blood.”
Former state Sen. Kelli Ward has already launched her campaign and U.S. Rep. Martha McSally has “hinted” at running for Flake’s seat. Ward ran a failed effort to unseat John McCain.
DISPATCH INTERVIEW WITH KELLI WARD
Arpaio’s entry into the Senate race prompted immediate criticism from Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, who released a statement saying, “Joe Arpaio is one of our nation’s most notorious agents of racism and bigotry. He has spent his career tearing apart immigrant families and devastating Latino communities, and he has no place in the U.S. Senate.”
Famous for embracing the title of “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” Arpaio was convicted by a federal judge after defying an order to stop detaining immigrants simply because of their legal status.
