May 03, 2010

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio to announce today if he will run for governor

11:08 AM
By Ross D. Franklin, AP

Controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who has been a driving force behind efforts to crack down on undocumented workers, plans to announce today whether he'll run for governor, KGUN -TV reports.

"People want me to run for governor," Arpaio, the sheriff of Maricopa County, said in a news conference late last week, the Phoenix TV station reports. "Every day, around the nation. Everybody, here, they want me to run."

"I'm not bragging, but everyone feels that if I run, I'll win," he added.

The 77-year-old sheriff toyed with running for governor in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and has raised $1.2 million in campaign funds, according to the last campaign finance report, the Associated Press reports.

If Arpaio, a Republican, decides to run, Arizona law would require him to resign immediately.

His sheriff's office is currently the subject of a probe by the U.S. Attorney for Arizona into a "pattern and practice of racial profiling," KTAR reports.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... governor/1