Arpaio pondering Senate run? Yeah, right
From the here we go again and again ... and a few more times again ... department, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is dropping hints that he might run for the Senate seat being vacated by Jeff Flake.
“I am seriously, seriously, seriously considering running for the U.S. Senate,” he told The Daily Beast on Thursday.
Arpaio’s announcement was predictably picked up by The Hill, ABC, FOX, U.S. News & World Report and an on and on and on.
That ought to crank up donations. Just last month, the ousted, pardoned sheriff sent out one of his regular fundraising pleas, suggesting that he might run for Flake’s seat — but only if his supporters send him cash to pay his legal bills.
“Here is the situation,” his fundraising plea reads. “To really get his stalled reform agenda moving on Capitol Hill, my friend President Donald Trump needs a U.S. Senator he a (sic) can trust to actually vote for action on illegal immigration, taxes, the economy and more — and some are asking me to step forward.”
And here it comes: “Patriot, I definitely won’t make this huge decision for the future without your input — but I also can’t move forward with such a potentially awesome challenge before I get my own situation in order.
“As you know, the Obama Department of Justice’s politically-charged prosecution has left me saddled with hundreds of thousands in legal defense debt — and I must deal with that burden before I can make an ultimate decision about my future... President Trump may need me in the Senate, but first I need your generous assistance to retire this debt.”
The Daily Beast called Arpaio on Thursday to see if he’d run for Franks’ seat. That actually would make sense given the deep-red nature of the district. It’s home to his posse in Sun City and Sun City West.
Arpaio said no to Franks’ seat. “But I am considering running for the Senate, Flake’s seat,” Arpaio told The
Daily Beast. “I feel like I just gave you a little scoop there.”
Oh, yeah, it’s a scoop of something all right.
I can think of a couple of reasons why Arpaio won’t be running for the Senate.
No. 1. He’s 85 years old. Six months into his term, he’d be 87. Seems a tad long in the tooth for a freshman.
No. 2. He’s been losing support for years and lost his last race for sheriff in heavily Republican Maricopa County. If anything, having Arpaio in next year’s Senate race might just increase Democratic turnout, which is usually lousy in a midterm election. I’m sure Gov. Doug Ducey and all the other Republicans up
for re-election would very much appreciate that.
No. 3. This isn’t the first time that Arpaio has floated the idea that he would run for higher office. By my count, it’s the sixth time. (See: governor’s races in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.) History suggests that once he get maximum media attention, he’ll reluctantly announce that he’s decided not to run, after all. (See: governor’s races in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.)
But, I will admit, it’s a genius way to raise cash from his supporters across the land.