By Brian Wright | TriValley Central
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu dipped his toe in a congressional race in the 2012 election, but could he jump in with both feet for 2014?
According to a poll by MBQF Consulting, Babeu is the early favorite to win the Republican nomination in Congressional District 1.
Babeu was an early candidate for the District 4 seat in the 2012 election and battled U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar and former state Sen. Ron Gould in the primary. District 4 includes Florence and San Tan Valley, and District 1 includes most of the rest of Pinal County.
Early polling indicated Babeu as the favorite to win the primary in the conservative-heavy district, but after allegations of abuse of power by a former boyfriend — a Mexican immigrant — and Babeu’s outing by that former boyfriend, his poll numbers dropped.