Arizona sheriff Mark Lamb becomes first Republican to jump into Senate race

Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb has filed federal paperwork to run for the U.S. Senate in Arizona, becoming the first Republican to jump into a high-profile race for the seat now held by independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

Lamb, who filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday, has built a profile in Arizona and beyond as a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump and an advocate for cracking down on illegal immigration and drug smuggling. While Pinal County is not on the U.S.-Mexico border, it has a number of active drug and human smuggling routes through remote desert terrain.

Arizona, long a GOP stronghold, is a top target for Republicans looking to take control of the Senate, which Democrats control 51-49, including Sinema and two other independents who generally vote with Democrats. The state was solidly red, with former President Bill Clinton in 1996 being the only Democrat to win the state in a presidential election since 1948 and two longtime GOP senators. After voting for Trump in 2016, the state went blue for President Joe Biden in 2020 and Democrats were able to win both Senate seats, although Sinema has since left the Democratic party. 

The 2024 Senate map heavily favors the GOP, with no Republican seats up in states won by Mr. Biden and three Democratic seats up in states Trump won in 2020. Under the same Senate map in 2018, Sinema was one of only two Democrats to flip a GOP-held seat and Democrats lost three seats. The closest Republican wins, meanwhile, were in Florida and Texas. 

Sinema, who left the Democratic Party in December after her relationship with many members of the party ruptured, is raising money for a potential reelection campaign but has not said whether she will seek a second term. U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego is the only Democrat in the race so far. He said last week he raised $3.7 million in the first quarter.

Fast-growing Pinal County is sandwiched between the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. Its small agricultural and mining towns have been dwarfed in recent decades by master-planned exurbs and retirement communities where newcomers gobble up affordable homes.

Lamb is a fixture in border-themed television ads that show him walking through the desert, rifle in hand, with Republican candidates. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, the sheriff refused to enforce Republican then-Gov. Doug Ducey's stay-at-home order. He also created a streaming service called "American Sheriff Network" to highlight the work of law enforcement agencies.

Lamb could wind up in a crowded Republican primary and will likely face a formidable fight for the GOP nomination.

Kari Lake, a former television news anchor who became a star among many Republicans before losing the 2022 race for governor, is considering a Senate run and would be the immediate front-runner. Others considering running include Blake Masters, Jim Lamon and Karrin Taylor Robson, who lost 2022 races for Senate or governor.

All of Lamb's potential Republican rivals have, to varying degrees, something the sheriff lacks — easy access to large sums of money. Lake can raise it from her legion of fans, while the other potential candidates have personal fortunes or benefactors they can draw from. Lamb's ability to raise money will be an early test of his viability.

Arizona Republicans have embraced Trump's unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, last year nominating for statewide offices a slate of candidates who put election conspiracies at the center of their campaigns. All lost in the general election, prompting fears in some Republican circles of a repeat that could hinder their path to a Senate majority.

Lake has continued to aggressively push claims of interference in her own election loss last year that have been rejected by courts.

Lamb this month distanced himself from election conspiracies, saying he hasn't seen evidence of "material, large-scale fraud" that he could take to a jury. Lamb's own Pinal County had serious issues last year that were blamed on ineptitude rather than fraud.

"Where I thought there was smoke, I looked for fire," Lamb said in an interview with the Phoenix Fox affiliate. "I got involved with some of the groups that were actively out saying they had evidence. To this day, I've never been provided any evidence of significant material fraud."

Lamb experienced tragedy late last year, when his 22-year-old son, the son's fiancée and their 1-year-old daughter were killed in a crash when their vehicle was hit by a suspected drunken driver.