State Attorney General candidate Tom Horne asked a Maricopa County Superior Court judge to issue a restraining order to keep Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s campaign ads off TV.
Sheriff Joe isn’t up for re-election until 2012, and in the ads, he conveniently questions Horne’s views on illegal immigration. The Secretary of State’s elections office confirmed that it is indeed investigating the ads. You can read about it here.
“It’s not for Arpaio’s re-election that’s in 2012. Nobody believes that. Everybody knows that it’s not for that. It’s an ad to persuade voters to vote against me and on a false basis. It’s totally untrue. I’ve never ever been for amnesty. I’ve always been against amnesty,” Horne said.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2010.
This is unfair campaigning by Andrew Thomas, who accepted taxpayer funds for his campaign and agreed with their limits, and is now illegally using extra money we voters contributed not for him, but to Sheriff Joe for his campaign. Another reason not to vote for Andrew Thomas (unless you want to vote for the Democrat): when Sheriff Joe’s ads for Thomas are ruled illegal, Thomas will be knocked off the ballot and the Democrat will be elected unopposed.
Horne should file a Special Action (an expedited appeal). The decision, legal or illegal, must be made by an appellate court ASAP. The primary is in 2 weeks, 50% of early ballots are cast in the first week after receipt, & 80% of primary votes are cast by early ballot. Horne shouldn’t wait for the Secretary of State to decide; the election will be over by then.
Love to see Republicans eating their own. Sheriff Joe and fair play would never appear in the same sentence.