Sinema still pondering run for Senate seat, she says

The waiting is the hardest part ... U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema seems content to let the August recess pass without clarifying her political future.

In an interview Thursday, the Arizona Democrat said she is still pondering a run for the Senate seat held by Jeff Flake, but she isn’t making any commitments, offering any timetable or feeling pressure from others.

“I am seriously considering a run. Many, many folks in Arizona have asked me to consider it,” she said. “I’m taking the time to be thoughtful, just like I do with everything.

“What I’m really interested in hearing is where my contribution makes the most sense and has impact. Where can I best serve Arizonans and in what manner? That’s what I’m really interested in.”

Sinema said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democratic Party interests “want someone to run” against Flake.

Flake has had GOP opposition for months, notably from former state Sen. Kelli Ward.

Others, notably Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, are believed to be weighing a run for Sinema’s House seat if she runs for the Senate. Still, she said she isn’t ready to make a decision.

“With all due respect, I’m not going to make a decision because someone else wants me to; I never have.”

Sinema can wait longer than many others could, in part because she’s already raising money for a fourth term in the House and already has a campaign operation.

» Arpaio has left the building! ... Move over Wayne Newton, Vegas has a new sheriff in town.

Fresh off his presidential pardon, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is taking his routine to the Las Vegas Strip to deliver a Sept. 16 keynote address at the Conservative Awards Dinner at the 2017 Conservative Leadership Conference.

Call it “Sheriff Joe Live! at the Tropicana.”

The ex-lawman will also be honored with a “Courage Under Fire Award,” according to a news release from the conference, which refers to its members as “Fellow ‘Deplorables” and advertises the event as a “one-of-a-kind celebration of ‘Draining the Swamp’ to ‘Make America Great Again.’”

It will be a homecoming of sorts: Arpaio worked for Clark County’s sheriff’s office in the 1950s.

The 85-year-old former sheriff has said he might restart his political career now that President Donald Trump has spared him potential jail time for his criminal contempt conviction. Arpaio hasn’t definitively said if he plans to run for office or take a gig with Team Trump.

Las Vegas is where Elvis Presley made a famous return to performing live. Will Arpaio use his stop at the Tropicana to launch his comeback and riff on his political future?

“With everything that’s going on with my comeback, I don’t know if it will happen in Vegas,” Arpaio told The Arizona Republic Friday. “I have a lot of things going on in the future.”

» The check is in the mail ... The more than $200,000 in fees piling up from dozens of Arizona campaign committees that failed file their required quarterly campaign finance reports could cover a pretty nice raise for some teachers.

But that’s only if Attorney General Mark Brnovich can get the groups — which span the political spectrum — to pay up.

Arizona Secretary of State Michele Reagan last week referred 30 committees to the Attorney General’s Office for investigation over unpaid fees.

Investigation and legal action would likely take a while. But any revenue recouped would go directly into the state’s general fund, which pays for everything from teacher salaries to prisons.

And in the midst of a battle over how to pay Arizona teachers more, every dollar counts.

The groups run the gamut. Some were created by individuals and never raised any money. Others are campaign funding arms for advocacy or professional groups. Others are connected to Arizona political party groups.

As of Thursday, each of the 30 groups owed the state $950 for being 47 days late filing their second quarter finance report. The cost grows daily.

Many of the groups owe thousands of dollars more for also being delinquent with prior quarterly reports, some more than a year late.

Among the 30 groups the state says owe fees, these owe the most, according to an analysis of state records by The Arizona Republic: » HOW Arizona I-15-2016, $18,475 » Arizona Taxpayers Against Corruption, $17,755.

» Securing the Arizona Border Act With I-07-2014, $17,375 » Arizonans for Public Safety, $17,375 » Improving the Medical Marijuana Program, $17,375

» Quote of the week “Senator McCain will return to the U.S. Senate next week as Congress begins a new legislative session and looks forward to continuing his work for the people of Arizona and the nation.” — Sen. John McCain’s office, in a statement last week indicating Arizona’s senior senator, who’s undergoing treatment for brain cancer, will be back at work in Washington, D.C., after the holiday weekend.

Compiled by Republic reporters Ronald J. Hansen, Alia Beard Rau, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez. Get the latest at poli tics.azcentral.com.