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Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu announced yesterday that he’s considering running for a currently non-existent Congressional seat.
As you can see in the comment section of our story on the matter (which you can see by clicking here), Babeu’s potential candidacy hasn’t been well received by New Times readers.
As we mentioned, the seat Babeu’s eying doesn’t even exist yet — it’s what would be Arizona’s Fourth Congressional District, as it’s been proposed by the Congressional Redistricting Committee.
The proposed district includes parts of six current districts and covers the northern part of Pinal County, stretching into western Arizona.
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Babeu’s earned himself national attention with his tough stance on Arizona’s issue dujour: illegal immigration.
Depending on who else enters the race, it seems Babeu would have the support of the far-right-wing border hawks who tend to carry a lot of weight in Arizona politics. In other words, Babeu’s got a legitimate shot at winning the currently non-existent seat.
If the idea of “Congressman Paul Babeu” makes you cringe, look at it this way: Babeu can do a lot less damage as a freshman congressman from Arizona than he can as the sheriff of an entire county — a similar argument is made every time Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio blows smoke up the asses of Arizona voters with claims that he’s running for federal office.
We want to know what you think: would you prefer Sheriff Babeu, or Congressman Babeu?
Cast your vote below
