Russ Skinner, recently appointed Maricopa County Sheriff, has filed papers expressing interest in running for office.
Skinner, a longtime Republican, switched to the Democratic Party on October 3, 2023, one day after former Sheriff Paul Penzone, a Democrat, announced his resignation. State law required the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to appoint someone from Mr. Penzone's political party to replace him.
They elected Skinner on a 4-1 party-line vote, with Republican supervisors voting in his favor.
Mr. Skinner now joins a group of candidates who have announced their intention to run in the sheriff's primary. He ran as a Democrat.
Jeffrey Kirkham also submitted a statement of interest in early February. Like Skinner, Kirkham was a longtime Republican, but he switched his registration status to Democrat in order to apply for the sheriff's appointment.
Two new candidates have joined the race, bringing the total number of candidates to seven, with three Democrats and four Republicans submitting expressions of interest.
The minimum number of voter signatures required for a sheriff candidate to appear on the primary ballot is 4,225 for Republicans and 3,905 for Democrats. The Maricopa County Elections Department says all required nomination documents are expected to be submitted by the close of business on April 1st.
The primary election is July 30th. Originally scheduled for Aug. 6, a new state law moved the primary election forward by a week to give county officials more time to respond to a potential recount.
Do you have news information about the sheriff appointment process, sheriff elections, or the Maricopa County Jail? Here's how to contact our reporter: jjenkins@arizonarepublic.com or call 812-243-5582. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter.@JimmyJenkins.
