PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. – Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb announced on Monday that he has filed paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in Arizona. The widely popular sheriff becomes the first Republican to step forward to challenge incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who dumped the Democrat Party last year and is now an Independent.
Lamb declared his candidacy in a statement filed to the Federal Elections Commission. He is a frequent critic of President Biden’s immigration policies, which have a negative impact on Pinal County. Moreover, Lamb has been outspoken regarding opposition to the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 2021, and he was an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump’s policies as it relates to public safety.
Although Sinema no longer calls herself a Democrat, she still thinks like one. Both her and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, caucus with the Democrats. As a result, the Senate race in Arizona will be hotly contested as Republicans need to win two seats to flip the Democratic Party’s current 51-49 majority, Fox News Digital reported.
Lamb was sworn in as Pinal County Sheriff on Jan. 1, 2017. The geographically large county is about the size of Connecticut. The sheriff manages more than 650 employees within the law enforcement agency.
Prior to becoming sheriff, “Lamb trained with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Academy and was named Valedictorian of his class. He was hired by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and worked hard and was named Rookie of the Year. The next year, he received an Officer of the Year award. He was later promoted to Detective on the Gang Enforcement Unit and in his first year in that position was named Detective of the Year,” according to Fox.
Before President Biden visited the southern border earlier this year, Lamb said he should “apologize to the American people” for feeble policies that facilitate crime.
Pinal County is not on the U.S.-Mexico border, but its land acts as a “pass through” county for narcotic trafficking and human smuggling, issues that Lamb has combatted as top priorities.
“I think this administration has been disrespectful to our Border agents because they haven’t had their backs,” Lamb told Fox News in January.
“They haven’t appropriately staffed them. They’ve had them doing jobs that they weren’t designed to do. And they continue to show no outward support for them.”
Sinema left the Democrat Party in December after her relationship with many Dem colleagues fractured. She is raising money for a potential re-election campaign but has not officially announced her bid for a second term. If so, she will be challenged by U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is the only Democrat in the race to date.
Lamb’s announcement comes months after his family experienced an enormous tragedy. On Dec. 16, 2022, his 22-year-old son, the son’s fiancée and their 1-year-old daughter were killed in a crash, Law Officer reported. Their vehicle was struck by a driver who was believed to be impaired.
Weeks after the tragic event, Sheriff Lamb said, “We are just grateful for all the outpouring of love and support. Obviously this is a tough tragic situation … loss of your son, grandchild. Caroline was like a daughter to us as well, so it’s tough.”
“We are not angry,” Lamb continued, as if sending a message to the criminal defendant charged in the traffic-related deaths. “This is an accident. Our son went through something similar. We don’t feel any anger or resentment. We want to let you know we forgive you, and we know that our kids are in a better place.”
