Voters oust Sheriff Joe Arpaio after charge clouds campaign

PHOENIX (AP) — An Arizona sheriff who became a national political figure by cracking down on illegal immigration and jailing inmates in tents lost Tuesday after 24 years in office, eliminating the last vestige of the state’s decade-old movement of local police confronting people in the country illegally.

Voters booted Sheriff Joe Arpaio in favor of Democrat Paul Penzone, a retired Phoenix police sergeant who criticized the 84-year-old lawman for focusing too much on promoting himself as “America’s Toughest Sheriff” and too little on improving public safety.

His loss came as mounting legal problems in a years-old racial profiling case led to a criminal charge two weeks before Election Day. Arpaio was charged with contempt of court for ignoring a judge’s order to stop traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. He could face jail time if convicted.

Critics have slammed Arpaio for racking up $130 million in taxpayer-funded legal costs to defend him in lawsuits, including $48 million that has been spent so far on the profiling case.

Hundreds of jubilant Arpaio opponents gathered outside the sheriff’s office Tuesday night after it became clear that Penzone won the race. As they stood in doors in front of the sheriff’s headquarters, they held up a sign saying, “Eviction Notice.”

Arpaio said he was disappointed in the results but congratulated Penzone and thanked his employees for their dedication.

“My thanks and appreciation to the people of Maricopa County for the faith and trust they put in me over the years,” he said in a statement.

The sheriff earned high marks from voters early in his tenure by jailing prisoners in tents in the desert heat and dressing them in pink underwear. His popularity has waned over the past few elections, but a devoted base of supporters and impressive campaign fundraising have helped him pull out wins.

Arpaio raised $12.3 million, most of it from people living in other states who supported his past immigration crackdowns. The movement lost steam after immigrant-smuggling traffic into Arizona declined and several state immigration laws were thrown out by the courts.

But anti-immigration rhetoric from Donald Trump energized the state’s conservative base and gave the Republican sheriff an ally. Arpaio introduced the GOP nominee at rallies and gave a speech at the national convention.

Over the last four years, the courts stripped Arpaio of his power to conduct immigration crackdowns. His officers were found to have profiled Latinos in traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Arpaio, who acknowledged the contempt violations but insists they were unintentional, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

His plan of attack against Penzone, who lost to the sheriff in 2012, consisted mostly of TV ads that claimed Penzone assaulted his wife in a 2003 dispute. The Democrat denies the claim and sued Arpaio, alleging defamation.

In his victory speech, Penzone declared that the people of Phoenix “will no longer stand for the things we’ve seen.” He compared his comeback to the “Rocky” movies, where Sylvester Stallone’s character lost in the first film but won in the sequel.

Penzone raised $1 million and gotten a boost from $2.9 million in campaign mailers and commercials from an anti-Arpaio group funded largely by liberal hedge-fund tycoon George Soros.

The group, Maricopa Strong, said metro Phoenix will be a safer and fairer jurisdiction with Penzone at the helm.

“Voters have rejected the poisonous anti-immigrant policies that Arpaio symbolized,” it said in statement.

Like Penzone, the group has attacked Arpaio for botching investigations into hundreds of sex-crime cases.

Karen Cooney, a retiree in Phoenix who described herself as a conservative-leaning Democrat, said she voted for Penzone. She said she disliked signs that Arpaio posted on sheriff’s vehicles asking people to report immigrants to the authorities.

“The sheriff’s race was a no-brainer because I have only been here a few short years and I just do not agree with Arpaio’s means and methods,” Cooney said.

Crystal Burge, a homemaker from Phoenix, said she voted for Arpaio because of his tough jail policies, including his complex of jail tents.

“I really like his philosophy on the outdoor jails,” Burge said.

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Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/jacques-billeaud .