Former Maricopa Co., AZ sheriff Joe "Pink Undies" Arpaio, the lawbreaking bigot and a favorite of neo-fascist con man Donald "Rump" Trump, announced today that he's running for the Senate seat that Sen. Jeff Flake is vacating in 2018. In July 2017, a Federal court convicted Arpaio of criminal contempt in violating a court order forbidding him to racially profile Latino drivers. In an act of defiance against the Federal judiciary, Rump pardoned Arpaio the following month before Arpaio could be sentenced. The previous year, Arpaio had lost the election for sheriff, a position he had held for 24 years, largely over his toxic policies and defiance of the court. During his term, Arpaio ran an infamous county jail, with prisoners living in outdoor tents in Arizona's summer heat and dressed in striped outfits and pink underwear.
Arizona will be one of the key battleground states in 2018, but first Arpaio has to get past fellow wingnut Kelli "Mental" Ward and Rep. Martha McSally. Dem Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is the leading Dem candidate for the seat.
BONUS: Or will he?
Me: "Hey, is this Arpaio thing serious?"— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) January 9, 2018
Arizona source: "It is a serious fundraising scam."
