Poll: Half in state don’t want president to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Half of Arizonans surveyed over the weekend believe that President Donald Trump should not announce a pardon for former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio at Phoenix rally today, compared with 21 percent who said it would be a good move, according to a new poll.
Another 29 percent said they weren’t sure or didn’t know.
The poll by OH Predictive Insights found stronger support for Arpaio among older respondents.
The poll results, released Monday morning, come amid
speculation that Trump will use his Phoenix visit as an occasion to pardon the controversial lawman after his recent criminal-contempt conviction.
The Phoenix-based polling group surveyed 1,065 Arizonans from Friday to Sunday, asking: “This coming Tuesday, President Donald Trump will be in Arizona to hold a rally. Do you think President Donald Trump should pardon Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the event?”
While 31 percent of those 55 or older believe Arpaio should be pardoned, the figure drops to 15 percent for those 54 or younger.
“Half of Arizonans say pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio at the Phoenix rally is a bad choice,” OH Predictive Insights Managing Partner Mike Noble said in a statement. “Another interesting takeaway from this survey besides Arizonans overall thinking an Arpaio pardon is a bad idea, it will go over like a lead balloon with the 54 years of age or younger crowd.”
Last week, Trump told Fox News he was “seriously considering” the pardon and days later confirmed the campaign-style rally to be held at the Phoenix Convention Center.
The two are both immigration hardliners, and the pardon would be seen as repayment for Arpaio’s loyalty. Arpaio, a polarizing yet wildly popular figure among conservative circles, was one of Trump’s earliest supporters and introduced the then-candidate during his campaign visits to Arizona.
Last month, a federal judge found Arpaio had intentionally violated a judge’s orders amid a long-running racial-profiling case. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 5, and could face as many as 6 months in jail.
Arpaio’s critics say the pardon would signal Trump’s disregard for the criminal-justice system and be an official endorsement of racism. And it would would be a particularly inflammatory move following Trump’s widely criticized statements on Charlottesville this month, when he equated leftist protesters with white supremacists.
The online survey was conducted from Friday through Sunday based on a U.S. Census-based Arizona population sample. The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points, according to the pollster.