Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, a Republican, will run for the U.S. Senate in Arizona in an effort to secure Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (I-AZ) seat, according to reports.
Lamb is set to announce his candidacy next week, NBC News correspondent Vaughn Hillyard first reported Friday, citing three anonymous sources. KPNX confirmed Hillyard’s story.
NEW Pinal County’s @sherifflamb1 is expected to announce next week he’s running in GOP primary for US Senate, @12News has learned. pic.twitter.com/FxSeefL91t
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) April 7, 2023
Lamb, who has served as Pinal County sheriff since 2017, is one of the first candidates of any political persuasion to announce a candidacy in what looks to be shaping up to be a three-way general election race. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) launched his candidacy in January, soon after Sinema defected from the Democratic Party late last year to register as an independent. In the first quarter fundraising, he brought in $3.7 million through 106,000 donations, Breitbart News reported.
The sheriff will kick off what could potentially be a crowded GOP primary field. Republican Kari Lake, who was the GOP gubernatorial nominee in Arizona last year, has not yet ruled out a senate run, Hillyard noted. Arizona’s 2022 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, Blake Masters, has also reportedly kicked the tires on another campaign.
The three Republicans share rapport. Lamb even accompanied Masters, Lake, and other GOP candidates on a visit to the Arizona/Mexico border in the days before the midterm elections.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) arrives for a meeting of the Senate Homeland Security Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Aug. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Meanwhile, Sinema is currently preparing for a potential reelection bid as an independent, the Wall Street Journal’s Eliza Collins reported on Friday:
Ms. Sinema and her team gathered in Phoenix earlier this week for a staff retreat, according to people familiar with the session. One meeting included a slideshow laying out a timeline of a potential run, according to slides reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. While Ms. Sinema hasn’t announced her plans, the materials reviewed by the Journal provide details on steps Ms. Sinema is taking to potentially run for re-election.
Politico’s Jonathan Martin reported last month that Sinema had taken digs at her former Democrat colleagues following her departure from the party. At the same time, she worked on cozying up to Mitch McConnell. Martin proposed a hypothetical scenario in which the moderate Sinema could cut a deal with McConnell in the general election if an establishment Republican does not win the nomination.
“One potential arrangement: Sinema could remain an independent but caucus with the Republicans in exchange for a ceasefire in spending from the National Republican Senatorial Committee and McConnell’s Super PAC,” wrote Martin.
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