A recall effort against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio went down in flames Thursday. Leaders of the group, Respect Arizona and Citizens for a Better Arizona did not collect the necessary number of signatures to force a recall election, the Los Angeles Times reported.
They needed 335,000 by 5 p.m.
Citizens for a Better Arizona President Randy Parraz said the two groups only got 300,000, United Press International reported.
The failure was not much of a surprise. Early Thursday morning, group members were suggesting in various media reports that they weren’t going to meet the recall requirements.
Maricopa County Sheriff Arpaio — who started his sixth term this January ‚ hailed the failure as yet more evidence of his widespread support and thanked his backers.
The recall failed, he said, in UPI, “because the good people of Maricopa County, whom I’m honored to serve, rejected the wrongheaded idea of overturning an election.”
Recall organizers, meanwhile, aren’t throwing in the recall towel. They say a federal court ruling last week that found the sheriff engaged in racial profiling to root out illegal immigrants is fueling their fight.
“This fight is not over,” Mr. Parraz said in the UPI report.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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