FLORENCE, Ariz., Jan. 4 (UPI) -- An Arizona sheriff who gained national prominence as an advocate for tougher border security said Wednesday he will run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeau, in a statement announcing his candidacy for Arizona's newly drawn 4th Congressional District, said "it's time for a new Sheriff in Washington."
"As a first responder, I'm trained to run toward dangers that others run away from. Right now, the biggest threats facing our country are from Washington," Babeu said. "We have record debt and deficit spending, the biggest intergenerational theft in the history of the world. We have a system that punishes job creators and leaves many millions unemployed. We have an unsecured border that allows the drug cartels to operate freely in our country, and results in 400,000 illegal crossings into our state every year."
He is the first of what is likely to be many Republican candidates to run for the newly redrawn district, The Arizona Republic reported.
Bruce Merrill, a senior research fellow at the Arizona State University Morrison Institute for Public Policy, told the newspaper it was smart of Babeu to enter the race this early.
"First out of the blocks and high name recognition with a very important issue puts him in pretty good stead," he said.
