Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb said: announced On Tuesday, he said he would seek the nomination for the 2024 Republican Senate seat currently held by independent Senator Kirsten Sinema, who is currently the Democratic-majority nominee for the committee. His background is one of extremist affiliation and right-wing policy positions.
In the announcement video, Lam touted his work on the “front lines” of border security, saying, “This country needs a politically incorrect leader to protect us. So I is running for the U.S. Senate.” . If Washington could spend $100 billion to defend the Ukrainian border, we could complete the wall and keep our own communities safe. ”
Calling for the use of the military to destroy Mexico’s drug cartels, he said, “I will stand up to the awakened left and weak politicians in Washington, secure our borders, support law enforcement, and protect the Second Amendment and survival. I vow to defend my rights.” ”
In February, the progressive research group Media Matters for America report Lam said he has multiple ties to QAnon, a movement to debunk conspiracy theories.These include January exterior On the QAnon-affiliated show “X22 Report,” he claimed to be a believer in the show, sign In a copy of his book “American Sheriff” addressed to QAnon influencers, he used the movement’s slogan “WWG1WGA” (short for “Where we go one, we go all”).
After Joe Biden won Arizona and a majority of the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election, Lamb fueled election-denial conspiracy theories.
“I can only walk away from what I see. And what I saw during this election period doesn’t count as the result of the vote. That’s what we see now.” He said. Said Right Wing One America News Network, Nov. 12, 2020. “There is enough conflicting and disconcerting information across the country, especially in some of the battleground states, that it needs to be investigated.”
He defended pro-Donald Trump rebels who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, saying the riots were not their or Trump’s fault, but Hillary Clinton’s.
Arizona Republic report At a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6, Lam said: I think it’s become clear that there are some issues with voting. But this is about other issues that happened. Hillary Clinton and his wife went unpunished. ”
he Said Politico Magazine in 2021: “Just because someone was there doesn’t necessarily mean they’re guilty. We guarantee [the rioters] They are very loving Christians. They just happen to be strong supporters of President Trump. ”
The Politico article noted that it opposes any restrictions on gun rights. During a 2016 campaign appearance at a gun shop, he said: Said Patron, “I hope you guys spend your money here, preferably every payday. The more guns you buy, the better.”
“The Second Amendment protects the Constitution,” he said. Said In a 2020 video against legislation restricting assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.
Lam ran for sheriff in 2016 on the right to oppose abortion. platformpledged to “protect every stage of human life, from conception to natural death.”
In May 2022, he reportedly share “If you can kill someone who bothers you and get away with it… oh yeah, it’s called an abortion.” social media meme.
“This regime is undermining the rule of law. They are abetting and abetting cartels, human trafficking and drug trafficking into this country,” Lam said falsely. claimed At a July 2021 rally hosted by the American Immigration Reform League exclusive An anti-immigrant hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group’s founder, the late John Tanton, was a eugenicist whose goal was to preserve the “European-American majority.”
But Lam’s own approach to the rule of law has been inconsistent. After Arizona’s Republican Gov. Doug Ducey imposed a stay-at-home order early in the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Lam unilaterally Rejected to force it. “We are here to protect people from government overreach and protect their rights,” he said. Said FOX News in May. “I felt that orders like this to arrest and prosecute people went too far.”
Other Republicans are also reportedly considering running for the Senate. include 2022 Gubernatorial Candidate Lost Kali Lake.
and statement Nora Keef, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Election Committee, said on Monday:
The power dynamics in the Arizona Republican Senate primary are getting more and more confusing by the day. Whichever candidate ultimately manages to get out of the party brawl will do a lot of damage. And we hope that the Republican Party will spend the next year exposing each candidate’s flaws and ensuring that the final candidate is once again wildly partisan. Voters who decide the Arizona general election.
Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego, who is also running for a seat in the Senate, tweeted TUESDAY: Mark Lam claims to love ‘law and order’ but refuses to condemn attack on nearly 140 police officers injured or killed in Jan. 6 riots He is a threat to our democracy and unfit for elected office. ”
Reprinted with permission of the American Independence Foundation.
