Thread: Joe Arpaio's likely 2012 election foe a familiar fa

Joe Arpaio's likely 2012 election for a familiar face


by JJ Hensley - Sept. 14, 2010 04:51 PM
The Arizona Republic
.

Joe Arpaio's interest in running for president may be fabricated, but Dan Saban's desire to take another shot at unseating Arpaio is all too real.

Saban has announced his intentions to take on Arpaio for a third time in the 2012 race for Maricopa County Sheriff.

Arpaio has defeated Saban twice before, winning by 13 points in the 2008 race, but Saban, a former Buckeye Police Chief, said a "groundswell of support" encouraged him to take another shot at Arpaio.

Saban said he filed paperwork last week with the County Elections Department. Elections officials confirmed Tuesday that Saban had expressed a verbal interest but they have not received any paperwork.

Beating Arpaio won't be easy.

Despite the fact that the Sheriff's Office is the subject of two separate Justice Department investigations- one into allegations of racial profiling and the other looking into claims that Arpaio has abused the power of his office- Arpaio's message has still managed to resonate with donors, who had committed more than $2.9 million to Arpaio's re-election campaign through early August. Though some of those funds were spent on controversial ads targeting opponents of Arpaio's friends in this year's primary races, millions remain.

Arpaio raised more than $600,000 in the 2008 campaign and garnered 55 percent of the vote.

Saban spent about $160,000 and got 42 percent of the vote, leaving the contender to believe he can compete again, despite Arpaio's sizable war chest.

"What we have this time is name recognition," Saban said. "That's what you have to pay for with this campaign funding is getting your name out there: I have half a million people who either voted for me or know who I am."

The past two campaigns between the two have been marred by the sheriff's investigation into 30-year-old allegations against Saban, which could never be proven. Saban responded with a lawsuit accusing Arpaio and his chief deputy of defamation, which Saban lost.

Arpaio released a statement Tuesday stating that he is a strong supporter of the right to free speech and the right of those who want to enter the political process as a candidate for office.

Last week , Arpaio made national news when his campaign strategist said the sheriff's trip to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary, was "fueling speculation" that Arpaio was considering a run for the nation's highest office in 2012.

There is absolutely no proof that Arpaio, 78, is considering anything other than a sixth term as Maricopa County Sheriff.

www.azcentral.com

If anything, Joe Arpaio's support is STRONGER than it was before. We have Joes back.