Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio isn't up for re-election this year -- or next year. As far as we know he's not planning on running for county attorney, either. But that's not stopping him from airing "campaign ads" bashing his old foe, Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley.
Romley's not stooping to the level of the sheriff's sophomoric shenanigans, though. He's once again "extending the olive branch" to Arpaio.
Check out Arpaio's ad after the jump.
As you can see in the ad, Arpaio claims Romley wanted Governor Jan Brewer to veto SB 1070, a big no-no for a Republican in the midst of a primary campaign.
Romley says the sheriff's claim isn't entirely inaccurate.
"After it got passed, I said I would...enforce Senate Bill 1070. I sent out instructions to law enforcement of what it takes to be able to prove a case, and I've always been there. That's why these ads are a little bit misleading -- 'won't enforce Senate Bill 1070' -- when
have I ever said that?"
Other news outlets mistakenly have labeled the spot as a campaign ad for Bill Montgomery, Romley's opponent in the GOP primary for county attorney. We understand the confusion -- it's clearly nothing more than an attack ad on Romley -- but nowhere in the ad is Montgomery's name even mentioned, and it clearly says at the end that it's paid for by Arpaio's re-election committee.
It does suggest one thing, though: If Bill Montgomery is elected county attorney he'd likely be Arpaio's new lap-dog -- now that Joe's former puppy, Andrew Thomas, left the sheriff's stable of yes-men to run for attorney general. Speaking of lap-dogs, Montgomery got experience: he used to be Thomas' as one of Andy's deputies..
Romley seems to agree.
"Look, if there was ever a question of whether my opponent would be a puppet for the sheriff, it's been answered," Romley says.
