(USNewsMag.com) – Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, known by most as the cowboy-hat-wearing sheriff, filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission April 10 to run in 2024 for the Senate seat currently held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent.
Lamb has made appearances on Fox News over the past few years, where he has focused on immigration and vaccine mandates. He has been vocal about border policies. He has also been vocal in his support of former President Donald Trump. Lamb created the “American Sheriff Network,” a streaming service which highlights law enforcement agencies’ work. Lamb protested lockdown measures during the pandemic, refusing to enforce some of the laws around them. He has given support for private militias.
In late 2022 his family suffered a tragedy when Lamb’s son, his son’s fiancée and the couple’s 1-year-old daughter were killed in a car crash with a suspected drunken driver.
Pinal County is located between the area of Phoenix and Tucson.
Lamb entering the race could set up a three-way race between Sinema, him and Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, who in January announced he would be entering the race. As of the first week of April, Gallego has raised $3.7 million.
In December, Sinema officially left the Democratic Party, becoming an independent. She has been raising money for a potential campaign but has not formally announced if she will be seeking a second term.
Lamb is the first Republican to launch a campaign for the seat. Abe Hamadeh, the 2022 Republican nominee for Arizona attorney general, Jim Lamon and Blake Masters, both who ran for the Senate in 2022, and Karrin Taylor Robson, who ran for governor in 2022, are all speculated to be considering a run for the seat. Robson met with the National Republican Senatorial Committee in March. Kari Lake, who ran an unsuccessful 2022 Arizona gubernatorial campaign, has also said she could potentially launch a campaign for Senate.
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