Withdraws Arpaio resolution
By Dan Nowicki | The Republic
A draft Arizona Republican Party resolution seeking to nudge former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio out of this year’s GOP Senate primary was withdrawn ahead of Saturday’s state party meeting.
The resolution, first reported by The Arizona Republic, would have showered Arpaio with praise and “gratitude” before “respectfully” urging the Fountain Hills resident to abandon the Republican race to his rivals, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally of Tucson and former state Sen. Kelli Ward of Lake Havasu City
Paul Marchant, the GOP chairman in the East Valley’s Legislative District 12, emphasized that neither McSally’s nor Ward’s campaigns had anything to do with the resolution. He said the idea was born of sincere fears that Arpaio could easily lose a Senate seat that has been held by a Republican since 1995.