Joe Arpaio, 85, served as sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, for 24 years before being defeated for reelection by a Democrat in 2016. | Ralph Freso/Getty Images Arpaio running for Senate in Arizona

Joe Arpaio, the controversial former Arizona county sheriff who was convicted of defying a federal court order last year and then almost immediately pardoned by President Donald Trump, said Tuesday he is running for Senate.

Arpaio will run in the 2018 Republican primary for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Flake, he told the Washington Examiner, which first reported the news.


Arpaio served as sheriff of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, for 24 years before being defeated for reelection by a Democrat in 2016. He has often teased a possible statewide campaign — raising money for his political committee before ultimately deciding not to run.

“I have a lot to offer. I’m a big supporter of President Trump,” Arpaio told the Examiner. “I’m going to have to work hard; you don’t take anything for granted. But I would not be doing this if I thought that I could not win. I’m not here to get my name in the paper; I get that everyday, anyway.”

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Former state Sen. Kelli Ward — the conservative firebrand who lost to Sen. John McCain in a 2016 primary — is already in the contest on the Republican side, and Rep. Martha McSally is also expected to run. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema is running for the Democratic nomination.

Arpaio's harsh stance toward undocumented immigrants drew praise from hard-liners, but criticism from Democrats and some moderate Republicans. It also earned him the ire of federal courts, which ruled he violated civil rights law. After Arpaio ignored the rulings, he was convicted of contempt of court in July 2017. One month later, Trump pardoned him despite Flake's opposition.

Arpaio said in a phone interview on Tuesday that he hadn’t spoken with Trump about his run for Senate.

“I still support him. It doesn’t matter what his position is on me running,” Arpaio said. “But I’m sure he’ll know he’ll have a big ally in Washington, and he sure needs [someone] to get his programs and agenda done.”

While Arpaio is best known for his tough stance against illegal immigration, he stressed that also has experience in business and federal law enforcement, which took him to Mexico and Turkey decades ago. “I’m not a one-issue candidate,” he said.

The 85-year-old said he isn’t worried his age will be an impediment to serving a six-year Senate term, pointing to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), former Vice President Joe Biden and director Clint Eastwood, all in their 70s or 80s.

“I think it’s good,” he said, “because I survived my controversial 24-year career [as sheriff], strictly on common sense and life experience.”

Arpaio said the decision to run for Senate wasn’t an easy one. He’ll be a target for Democrats and progressive groups. In addition, any political campaign comes with a hefty workload. Still, he couldn’t resist the idea of the Senate race.

“I’m not going to be buried and know — and be sad — that I didn’t give it a shot,” he said.

Arpaio met several times in the past year with former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon but said Tuesday he hasn’t discussed the Senate run with him. Bannon endorsed Ward in October, but she’s recently tried to downplay that relationship.

Of Bannon’s reported quotes in the explosive Michael Wolff book published last week, Arpaio said he couldn’t pass judgment.

“He has to speak for what was in the book. I can’t speak for him,” the former sheriff said. “That’s something that he has to talk to the president about.”