August 20, 2008 - 6:40PM
Dem tries to wrest control of sheriff's office
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Dennis Welch, Tribune
The race for sheriff is one of the most anticipated and watched political campaigns in Maricopa County this year despite odds that are heavily stacked against Democrats taking control of an office held by Republicans for almost a generation.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Republican, is a household name, has held the post for 16 years and enjoys a substantial financial advantage over his Democratic opponent, Dan Saban. Arpaio also stands to gain from a huge voter registration advantage in the county that heavily favors Republicans over Democrats.

Yet Saban said he won't be deterred by the numbers. Seizing on a familiar political theme used by Democrats across the county, Saban said he believes voters in Maricopa County are ready for change. Both candidates are running in uncontested primary elections Sept. 2.

Four years ago, Saban, the former Buckeye police chief, ran unsuccessfully against Arpaio in the Republican primary. Since then, he switched parties, a move he explained was a difficult decision, not a ploy to give him a better shot at winning. Saban said that switching parties actually gave him a greater disadvantage.

"I had to start all over again," Saban said. "Switching parties was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make."

But to pull off the political upset, Saban will have to overcome long odds with little money.

The latest registration figures in the county show there are about 657,000 registered Republicans to roughly 505,000 registered Democrats. Independents make up 441,665 more, according to county records.

Arpaio also holds a commanding lead in money, having outraised Saban by nearly $400,000, according to the last financial reports released Wednesday afternoon. And it doesn't appear Saban is closing the gap. On Tuesday, he said his campaign has raised about $87,000 as of last week. While that is up from the $48,000 previously declared, it's still well below Arpaio's financial take of $465,326, according to county financial records.

But there is one chink in the sheriff's armor that shows he's primed to be ousted, Saban said. A poll released earlier this month showed Arpaio's approval ratings dropping to 53 percent, well below his historical highs of more than 70 percent. The sheriff's crackdown on suspected illegal immigrants, slow response times by deputies and his office's highly publicized budget deficits have fueled Arpaio's decline, according to the poll. Still, Arpaio isn't worried.

"My opponent can say whatever he wants," Arpaio said before ending a brief phone interview Tuesday. Within hours of the interview, the sheriff's campaign released a statement saying Arpaio wasn't going to respond to questions about Saban.

Besides the sheriff's race, there are numerous other candidates running in uncontested primary elections next month. County Supervisors Fulton Brock, R-District 1, and Don Stapley, R-District 2, have each held their seats for more than a decade. Combined, the two districts cover most of the East Valley.

Both are running unopposed in their respective primaries, but will face Democratic challengers in the November election.

Ed Hermes, a Democrat, will presumably be challenging Brock in District 1, which covers Tempe, Chandler and Queen Creek. Hermes has done a good job raising money in a region that has sent Democrats to the state Legislature as well as Congress.

Hermes had raised almost $77,000 as of the latest reporting period, which ended in June. Brock reported raising about $120,000 through the end of May, including $60,000 from his previous campaign. Brock's latest financial documents were unavailable.

However, Democrat Joel Sinclaire appears to be having a tougher time bringing in money, not a good sign as he looks to unseat Stapley in District 2, which covers Mesa, Gilbert and Scottsdale. Stapley has held his seat since 1994, and this will be the first time he has ever faced a Democratic challenger in the general election. And unlike District 1, District 2 has remained very Republican, routinely sending GOP candidates to the Legislature and Congress.

The latest campaign finance reports show Stapley has raised about $101,500 to Sinclaire's $5,789.

County Recorder Helen Purcell, a Republican, is also running unopposed in the primary, but is expected to face Ernest Hancock, a Libertarian, in November. County Treasurer Charles "Hos" Hoskin, a Republican, will not face any opposition in the primary or the general election.


http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/123631