(REUTERS) — PHOENIX — Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who built a national reputation as a staunch foe of illegal immigration, announced on Sunday – the anniversary of his pardon by President Donald Trump – that he will see re-election to his old job next year.
Arpaio, 87, a Republican who was voted out of office in 2016 after a 24-year tenure as Maricopa County’s longest-serving sheriff, said he will seek his party’s nomination for the post again in the Aug. 4, 2020 primary, running against his onetime chief deputy, Gerard Sheridan.
The winner of that primary will likely face the man who defeated Arpaio in 2016, the current incumbent sheriff, Democrat Paul Penzone, in the November 2020 general election.
