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Arpaio, self-proclaimed as “America’s toughest sheriff,” lost his bid for a seventh term as Maricopa County Sheriff on Tuesday to Democratic challenger and former Phoenix police officer Paul Penzone.
The loss came as a direct result of the tireless organizing of local Latino activists who campaigned for years against Arpaio’s racist rhetoric, workplace raids and frequent traffic stops.
Carlos Garcia, executive director of Puente, an advocacy group formed in 2007 to counter Arpaio, told the New York Times, “The people Arpaio targeted decided to target him. He lost his power when undocumented people lost their fear.” He added that, “For us, what is most important now is to undo the damage and culture of hate that he has brought upon this county.”
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Arpaio, a vocal Trump supporter who spoke at the Republican National Convention at Trump’s personal invitation, was recently charged with contempt of court after a federal judge ruled he and his deputies continued to racially target Latino motorists in violation of a court order.
Since his first election to Sheriff in 1992 Arpaio has been a poster boy for Republican “tough talk” on immigration, often boasting that his actions had led to the deportation of over 50 thousand migrants. Arpaio’s actions were enabled by the federal government which for a time allowed Maricopa County police to act as immigration agents which gave them free reign to terrorize Latinos in Maricopa County.
Paul K. Charlton, who served as United States attorney for Arizona from 2001 to 2007 told the New York Times, “He went from a leader of a law enforcement agency to literally being an outlaw.” He added that, “His overall legacy became that of an individual who stained law enforcement’s reputation, who harmed law enforcement’s reputation and who did great damage in the community.”
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