The Pinal County Sheriff's Office confirmed to New Times yesterday that Sheriff Paul Babeu's right-hand man is forming an exploratory committee for a potential run for Babeu's job.
Babeu's chief deputy, Steve Henry, will announce later today that he's considering running for Pinal County sheriff.
Babeu, as you may know, is considering running for a currently non-existent Congressional seat -- it's what would be Arizona's Fourth Congressional District, as it's been proposed by the Congressional Redistricting Committee.
Henry started his career with the Chandler Police Department, which is the same cop-shop where Babeu served as president of the police union. He's also the sheriff's "chief" deputy.
In other words, Babeu and Henry are homeboys -- and it would be highly unlikely for Henry to challenge his popular pal in a primary.
Babeu claims he's only considering running for Congress, but with Henry being the heir-apparent for Babeu's current gig, it seems clear Babeu's definitely running for Congress.
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