'America's Toughest Sheriff' Joe Arpaio Defeated in Bid To Get His Old Job Back

After a presidential pardon, Arizona's most notorious former sherrif is not a reformed man.

Zuri Davis | 8.7.2020 10:25 PM

(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Newscom)

Joe Arpaio will not face Democratic candidate Paul Penzone in the race for Maricopa County Sheriff in the Arizona general election this fall. The Associated Press called Tuesday's Republican primary race, reporting that Arpaio lost to former top aide Jerry Sheridan late Friday night.

The tough-on-crime ex-sheriff was one of four Republican candidates hoping to replace Penzone, who himself replaced Arpaio in 2016, in the general election this November. Whoever wins that election will oversee one of the nation's largest sheriff's offices.

Arpaio's previous tenure as sheriff, which began in 1993, was defined by his frequent abuses of power. He became infamous for forcing inmates to wear pink underwear, work on chain gangs, and live in tent cities in the scorching Arizona heat. Under his watch, a SWAT team carried out a disastrous raid on a Phoenix home that ended with the residence engulfed in flames, a dog dying in the fire, and exactly one suspect taken into custody for outstanding traffic violations.

Using his official powers, Arpaio retaliated against the media for unfavorable coverage—a misdeed that he committed several times. He was also known to rely on racial profiling to enforce immigration law.

Arpaio was voted out of office in 2016. A federal judge found him guilty of criminal contempt of court a year later over his refusals to follow a court order commanding him to improve jail conditions and stop racially profiling.

A vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, Arpaio made history in 2017 by receiving Trump's first pardon.

In 2018, he ran an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. Apparently unable to resist the allure of public office, he announced his intention to re-run for sheriff in 2019.

Needless to say, Joe Arpaio is not a reformed man, but at least he won't get the chance to reclaim his title as "America's Toughest Sheriff" in 2020.

Meeting supporters everyday in the Arizona heat. I will never surrender! We must make Maricopa County Safe Again! pic.twitter.com/WQ9ggdaPYN

— Sheriff Joe Arpaio (@RealSheriffJoe) August 3, 2020

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Snorkle 5 years ago

Jesus, this guy is worse than herpes. What does it take to make him go away?
1. R Mac 5 years ago
  
  Reason could treat him as he deserves and ignore him. But for some reason he’s important.
  1. Nardz 5 years ago
    
    Yea, the only place I hear about him is here.
    They've got a bit of an obsession
    1. issom 5 years ago
      
      Google easily work and google pays me every hour and every week just $5K to $8K for doing online work from home. I am a universty student and I work on my part time just 2 to 3 hours a day easily from home.WRd Now every one can earn extra cash for doing online home system and make a good life by just open this website and follow instructions on this page…....Click here
    2. Shitlord of the Woodchippers 5 years ago
      
      Not only that , obsessing about him after he has already LOST.
  2. The White Knight 5 years ago
    
    Woah! Woah! Woah!
    
    Commenters come on here all the time and criticize Reason for not writing a blog post about this or that topic. Now, there are topics they aren’t supposed to blog about?
    1. bignose 5 years ago
      
      "Too local"
      1. Cyto 5 years ago
        
        How glib of you.
    2. Shitlord of the Woodchippers 5 years ago
      
      The article would make much more sense if he won the or,wry and were advancing to the general election.
      
      He is not.
2. Kuni 5 years ago
  
  Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner.
  
  Being a vile evil asshole does not make Arpaio tough - It just makes Arpaio a vile evil asshole.
  
  I'm just surprised that the entrepreneurs known as "cartels" didn't kill his entire family in front of him and then burned him alive as would be befitting someone this evil.
  1. Shitlord of the Woodchippers 5 years ago
    
    The cartels being the good guys in your mind.
3. Emily_ashly 5 years ago
  
  Hi everyone……..Making money online more than $15k just by doing simple work from home. I have received $18376 last month. Its an easy and simple job to do and its earnings are much better than regular office job and even a little child can do this and earns money. Everybody must try this job by just use the info on this page. … Click For Full Detail.
NoVaNick 5 years ago

I remember even a lot of progs were on the get tough on crime bandwagon back in the 90s and loved the idea of chain gangs, deporting illegals, and the military patrolling the hood. Trump could easily have been a Democrat back then, come to think of it, he was...
1. Tony 5 years ago
  
  I'm sure you thought you were making a point when you began typing that unintelligible drivel. Try caring about what's going on now.
  1. Nardz 5 years ago
    
    Only if you stop talking about slavery
  2. Shitlord of the Woodchippers 5 years ago
    
    Tony, you’re pretty evil, and generally a raving idiot. So you should probably just shut up.
2. Kuni 5 years ago
  
  Because Progressives also joining Conservatives and supporting Prohibition and Eugenics back in the wasn't everyone's first hint that Progressives are not Liberals.
  1. Kuni 5 years ago
    
    Oop's typo: " back in the" should have been "back in the day".
3. The White Knight 5 years ago
  
  Progressives did? Are you sure you’re not thinking like more middle-of-the-road Democrats, like Clinton — and Biden?
neurodoc 5 years ago

So now Sheriff Joe will have the time to stand up for the Donald as one of his surrogates. They are truly kindred spirits?
ArkCelosar2 5 years ago

Good. Putting aside politics for the moment, this man is straight up EVIL. I know people claim gray areas and understanding, but no: the horrible shit this guy has done for years and gotten away with? I'm sorry, but evil is the only word I can use to properly describe him.
1. Unicorn Abattoir 5 years ago
  
  He was a sadist and a narcissist.
Art Kumquat 5 years ago

Your zeal against arpaio sounds fun but could you try and stop the spammers in your own forum?

I feel if your yard looks like shit your shouldn’t throw stones.
Sevo 5 years ago

"So now Sheriff Joe will have the time to stand up for the Donald as one of his surrogates. They are truly kindred spirits?"

I see your cites went missing, but since you're a TDS victim, it really doesn't matter. TDS victims don't have to be asked; the pathetic pieces of lefty shit will tell you about their disability without any prompting at all, right, neurodoc?
Are you also the obvious example of the truism that psycho-docs are indeed in need of assistance, or perhaps the process of growing up?
Fuck off and die, asshole.
1. Sevo 5 years ago
  
  Ooops; directed at the new poster claiming authority as 'neurodoc' above.
  Cite of your claim and your authority or fuck off.
  1. Wearenotperfect 5 years ago
    
    Hahahahaha, you're such an idiot Sevo! Trying to get the quick witty response and not even knowing who you're response to. It's hilarious that TDS has actually affected you the most!
    1. The White Knight 5 years ago
      
      Even if he managed to attach the reply to the right comment, it wasn’t witty. It was angry and odd.
crufus 5 years ago

Say it ain't "NO" Joe.
Hattori Hanzo 5 years ago

This is news at Reason? A primary loss for a disgraced geriatric politician? Even his supporters here grew tired of his antics and in many cases his age. His campaign to regain office was a non-starter.
1. Tony 5 years ago
  
  The president pardoned him because he like that he was brutalizing brown people.
  
  But you're right, there's no freedom angle to this story.
  1. m1shu 5 years ago
    
    Looks like Tony wants Reason to keep up the crusade. "Former Sheriff Joe Apario went into assisted living. Did we tell you about the time he led a raid on a house and it caught on fire?"
    1. The White Knight 5 years ago
      
      Are you worried that Reason is spending too much on web hosting fees or dis drives? What does it matter if they put out a blog post about Arpaio.
2. chemjeff radical individualist 5 years ago
  
  I know, right? Why can't we have more articles about Drag Queen Story Hour? Those are much more newsworthy!
  1. JesseAz 5 years ago
    
    Jeff once again defending pedos (actual convictions) entertaining kids while asking for hugs and kisses from the young audience.
3. The White Knight 5 years ago
  
  Reason has been on the forefront of reporting on Arpaio for his entire “career”. This is a continuation of decades of coverage of this beat.
  1. JesseAz 5 years ago
    
    They were also on the forefront of Truml Russia for a few years but quickly forgot about that despite the dozens of articles on it.
4. Cyto 5 years ago
  
  Yes, this is news. Not major news, but news.
  
  His office was a stain on America. And not because 'enforcing immigration law is bad". And not because he was politically incorrect.
  
  But because he openly and proudly violated the civil rights of the people of Maricopa county and those who happened through his area. He believes in extra-judicial punishments, which is fundamentally un-American. And he casually violated the civil rights of resident aliens and legal immigrants.
  
  These are reasons to celebrate his lack of support in the community. I suspect that many of these same things were reasons that he had support in the first place, so it is a bit of a mixed message.
  1. NJ2AZ 5 years ago
    
    exactly right. the only shame in him narrowly losing a primary is that we don't get to see him get embarrassed in the general.
Longtobefree 5 years ago

"Needless to say, Joe Arpaio is not a reformed man, but at least he won't get the chance to reclaim his title as "America's Toughest Sheriff" in 2020."

Actually, he still is, and probably will remain, "America's Toughest Sheriff".
Since the new sheriff will not be as tough, and the office will be defunded soon, no one else will be able to claim the title.
Ken Shultz 5 years ago

"He was also known to rely on racial profiling to enforce immigration law."

On the one hand, this is why cancel culture people are still talking about him--and we're on board with that. On the one hand, we're against cancel culture?

Whatever distinctions "we're" making between cancel culture and going after public servants, I'm not sure those distinctions are being made or are even recognized by the cancel culture brigade.

Attitudes may have changed in recent years regarding the desirability of having a county sheriff who enforces federal immigration law with so much enthusiasm. I certainly hope that's the case. Another explanation is that the people of Phoenix don't care about such distinctions and cancel culture has worked its way into places where it wasn't before.

If it's the latter, that probably shouldn't be celebrated.
1. The White Knight 5 years ago
  
  What does this have to do with “cancel culture”.
  
  A judge ordered Arpaio to stop racial profiling. That was because racial profiling is illegal, not just something the cancel culture finds offensive.
chemjeff radical individualist 5 years ago

Womp womp.
Sorry not sorry to see him go.
Moderation4ever 5 years ago

Another 15 minutes of fame gone.
Wearenotperfect 5 years ago

"I will never surrender!"
He doesn't even see the irony.
Ken Shultz 5 years ago

For anyone who says that there isn't any real difference between Republicans and Democrats--since neither are libertarian or fiscally conservative--Chuck Schumer says you're full of shit.

In regards to the Republicans' insistence on their own $1 trillion bill without bailouts for the states and their refusal to support the Democrats' $3.5 trillion bill with bailouts for the states, Schumer said this:

“It’s real needs, that’s what guides us,” Mr. Schumer said. “What seems to guide them is the idea that government should spend as little money as possible despite the crisis in America.”

----WSJ

https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-aid-talks-teeter-amid-lack-of-progress-11596817312?

Oh God, save us all from the Republicans, who are trying to spend as little money as possible despite the latest crisis!
1. Ken Shultz 5 years ago
  
  P.S. President Trump will probably move to extend unemployment benefits by executive order, which is probably unconstitutional and will probably cause the Democrats to sue . . . if they're stupid.
  
  It's not that the Democrats shouldn't care about the Constitution. It's that they don't, so they probably won't put up much of a fight. Because if the Democrats have any functioning brain cells at all, they know that suing the President to stop him from extending unemployment benefits to 20 million voters is about the stupidest thing they could do three months ahead of an election.
  
  They've come out in favor of arson, looting, defunding the police, and disrespecting the national anthem lately, however, so who knows? If they can talk themselves into support that, they can talk themselves into believing that anything is popular.
  1. Esmeralda Overdrive 5 years ago
    
    You're a real tinpot fascist when the GOP is in the White House, aren't you, Ken? "Disrespect the national anthem"? Seriously? Mr Freeze Peach himself is saying that?
    1. Ken Shultz 5 years ago
      
      "They’ve come out in favor of arson, looting, defunding the police, and disrespecting the national anthem lately, however, so who knows? If they can talk themselves into support that, they can talk themselves into believing that anything is popular."
      
      Disrespecting the national anthem is a stupid thing to do if you want to win national elections--regardless of whether you or I approve. If you think coming out in favor of disrespecting the national anthem is way to win popular support in a national election, then you're a delusional idiot.
      1. Esmeralda Overdrive 5 years ago
        
        Have you considered the possibility that this disrespect you allege isn't about winning an election?
  2. The White Knight 5 years ago
    
    I don’t think the Democrats have literally “come out in favor of arson, looting”. That’s a mischaracterization.
  3. docduracoat 5 years ago
    
    They went ahead with impeachment when the GOP held the Senate and defeat was certain.
    They had the example of the GOP attempt to impeach Clinton which hurt them for years at the polls.,
    So they went ahead with attempt to impeach anyway.
    So it is likely the Dems May commit political suicide again with corona relief
2. The White Knight 5 years ago
  
  I’m supposed to side with the Republicans and their massive spending, and against the Democrats and their massive spending because a Democrat expressed concern for people, and misdescribed the Republicans as being fiscally conservative?
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The White Knight 5 years ago

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/verify/verify-were-federal-agents-permanently-blinded-by-protestors/283-ef7d3a55-b853-42fb-a3ef-14c50154c1bb

"Were officers permanently blinded?: The claim has been made by the White House and Attorney General William Barr. An official with Homeland Security later said the officers' vision returned."
The White Knight 5 years ago

https://twitter.com/radleybalko/status/1292216195144450049?s=20

"But I want to point to something that only the (paywalled) Capitol Forum has pointed out. The Postal Service has informed states that they’ll need to pay first-class 55-cent postage to mail ballots to voters, rather than the normal 20-cent bulk rate. That nearly triples the per-ballot cost at a time when tens of millions more will be delivered. The rate change would have to go through the Postal Regulatory Commission and, undoubtedly, litigation. But the time frame for that is incredibly short, as ballots go out very soon.

"A side benefit of this money grab is that states and cities may decide they don’t have the money to mail absentee ballots, and will make them harder to get. Which is exactly the worst-case scenario everyone fears."
1. Sarah Palin's Buttplug 2 5 years ago
  
  It is a poll tax - 2020 version.
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2. Sarah Palin's Buttplug 2 5 years ago
  
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Titus PUllo 5 years ago

Sheriff Joe was a true Latino (of true Latin stock)...loved in the area..the times are a changing
1. Hugo S. Cunningham 5 years ago
  
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'America's Toughest Sheriff' Joe Arpaio Defeated in Bid To Get His Old Job Back

After a presidential pardon, Arizona's most notorious former sherrif is not a reformed man.

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