PHOENIX (AP) – Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb jumps into the high-profile race Tuesday for the high-profile seat currently held by independent Senator Kirsten Cinema, running for the Arizona Senate on Tuesday. He announced that he would be the first Republican congressman.

Lamb, who has made a name for himself in Arizona and beyond as an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump and an advocate for cracking down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking, pledged to fight the cartels in a video announcing his candidacy. , filed a claim to the United States. The military called for “to wipe them out the same way we wiped out ISIS.”

The Arizona campaign, including Cinema and two independents who normally vote for Democrats, has become a prime target for Republicans seeking control of the 51-49 Democratic-controlled Senate. there is The 2024 Senate map is heavily in favor of Republicans, with Democratic-held seats contested in three states Trump won.

Cinema, who left the Democratic Party in December after ties with many party members fell apart, is raising money for re-election but has not said whether he will seek a second term. US Congressman Ruben Gallego is the only Democrat in the running. He said last week that he raised $3.7 million in the first quarter.

Fast-growing Pinal County is sandwiched between the metropolitan areas of Phoenix and Tucson. The small farming and mining town has been dwarfed in recent decades by planned suburbs and retirement communities where newcomers have eaten up affordable housing. Although the county is not on the U.S.-Mexico border, it is home to numerous drug and human smuggling routes through remote desert areas.

Mr. Lam is often featured in border-themed TV ads, where he is depicted walking through the desert with a rifle in hand alongside Republican candidates. Borders played a key role in the launch of his campaign, presenting him as a lawyer with first-hand experience fighting dangerous cartels and confronting the fentanyl scourge.

“This country needs a leader who is so politically incorrect to protect us,” Lam said in the announcement video.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, Mr. Lamb refused to enforce the policies of the then Republican governor. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order. He also created his streaming service called ‘American Sheriff Network’ which focuses on law enforcement activities.

Mr. Lam could end up winning the crowded Republican primary and will likely face a tough battle for the GOP nomination.

Kari Lake, a former TV news anchor who became a star among many Republicans until she lost the 2022 gubernatorial race, is considering a run for the Senate and will likely be a frontrunner for the foreseeable future. Others considering running include Blake Masters, Jim Ramon and Karin Taylor-Robson, who lost the 2022 election for Senate and Governor.

Lamb’s potential Republican rivals all have, to varying degrees, what the sheriff lacks: easy access to big bucks. While Lake can raise money from a large fan base, other potential candidates have private fortunes and backers. Mr. Lam’s fundraising ability will be an early test of his viability.

Mr Lam said he was confident he could win if other Republicans decided to run because he could talk to officials about border issues.

“There is no better person at the border to deal with this crisis, fight fentanyl and stop the addictions of our loved ones,” Lam told the Associated Press on Tuesday.

Lam said the United States should cooperate with the Mexican government, despite aggressive offers to send troops to attack drug cartels.

Republicans in Arizona have embraced Trump’s false claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, and last year nominated a candidate for statewide office who put election intrigue at the center of his campaign. All of them lost in the general election, raising fears among some Republicans that the same thing could be repeated, thwarting their path to a Senate majority.

Mr. Lake has continued to vigorously pursue interference claims in his election defeat last year, but the courts have dismissed them.

Lam appeared to distance himself from election conspiracy this month, saying he had yet to see evidence of “serious and large-scale fraud” that could be presented to a jury. Lam’s hometown of Pinal County suffered serious problems last year that were blamed not on fraud but on mishandling.

“When I thought there was smoke, I looked for fire,” Lam said in an interview with the Phoenix Fox affiliate. “I was involved with several groups that actively claimed to have evidence. To this day, I have never been provided with evidence of material wrongdoing.”

But on Tuesday, Lam told AP that he was only talking about Pinal County, dodging questions about whether voters can trust the last two elections to have been fair.

“I don’t get involved in other people’s affairs,” Lam said. “I’m focused on what’s happening in this county.”

Late last year, Lam experienced tragedy when his 22-year-old son, his son’s fiancée and 1-year-old daughter died in a car accident. He said his son, Cooper Lamb, struggled with fentanyl use and spent time in prison, but had been sober for more than a year before the accident.