Fearing a repeat of Alabama’s senate race, in which a deep-red state elected a Democrat instead of racist, homophobic predator Roy Moore, Arizona’s Republican Party issued a resolution last week thanking former Sheriff Joe Arpaio for his years of bigotry and illegal shenanigans, but then encouraged him to drop out of the race for retiring Jeff Flake’s US Senate seat:
"WHEREAS two well qualified candidates, former state Senator Kelli Ward and U.S. Representative Martha McSally, are in the race for U.S. Senator for Arizona; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Arizona Republican Party expresses its gratitude to Sheriff Arpaio for his many years of service, and respectfully urges him to exit the race for U.S. Senator from Arizona."
In part, the GOP fears Arpaio will dilute the crazy vote that former state Sen. Kelli Ward is counting on. She’s as nuts as the sheriff, so Arizona’s wackos would have a real Sophie’s Choice on their hands. Beyond that, the GOP, reflecting on Alabama, thinks Arpaio would lose in the general election against supposed Dem candidate US Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema. The state’s GOP chairman, who issued the resolution,
described himself as an Arpaio supporter in the past and stressed that the resolution is not meant as "an anti-Arpaio thing." But he worries the former sheriff would lose to U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.
Kelli Ward would lose to Sinema too, perhaps the bluest dog in Congress. The GOP’s best chance in the race is current Congresswoman Martha McSally, who’s seen as the “moderate” in the Republican primary—so moderate she only votes with Trump 97 percent of the time. The only thing that makes McSally look halfway sane is standing next to Arpaio and Ward.
Joe Arpaio is having none of it:
"I'm a fighter and I'm not going to bow out," Arpaio told The Republic. "I respect the nice words by whoever said this. They just made my case by including all my background. I want to thank them for giving my history. ... Why don't the other two drop out? Why me?"
Why you? Maybe because you lost the last county sheriff race by 10 points. Maybe because the entire state knows you’re a convicted criminal. Maybe because you still haven’t given up the racist birther BS. Maybe because you cost the people of Maricopa County tens of millions of dollars to cover your illegal arrests, jailhouse crimes and political vendettas. Popcorn?