Two Maricopans in race for new supervisor seat

Five candidates are running for Pinal County sheriff and five for the newly formed County Supervisor District 4, which includes Maricopa.

The deadline was 5 p.m. today for candidates to turn in paperwork and signatures to be on the ballot for the Aug. 28 primary.

Two Maricopa candidates, one Republican and one Democrat, turned in signatures for Supervisor District 4 race.

Anthony Smith, who ends his second term as mayor on Tuesday, faces three challengers in the Republican primary. He could not be reached for comment.

Henry Wade, organizer of the Copa City Dems, will run unopposed.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic about my campaign,” Wade said. “We had worked hard gathering signatures and went out to different parts of the district.”

Though the Republican Party has gained strength in recent years in Pinal County, Wade said he is the candidate who will represent all the citizens in the county, regardless of party affiliation.

“I’m a conservative Democrat,” he said. “Conservative is not a word that belongs to Republicans.”

In the sheriff’s race, Republican Paul Babeu, who dropped out of the race for U.S. Congress to run for reelection as sheriff, will face Tom Bearup of Queen Creek and Derek K. Arnson of San Tan Valley in the Republican primary. Glenn Millsaps of Coolidge runs unopposed as a Democrat and Tyrone Morgan of Florence is the only Independent candidate.

Babeu’s bid for U.S. Congress was plagued with controversy after his ex-boyfriend, a Mexican national, accused the sheriff of trying to deport him if he disclosed their relationship.

Maricopa resident Marty Hermanson, who serves as Babeu’s campaign manager, said despite Babeu’s recent political woes, he is “definitely a viable candidate in the sheriff’s race. He is going to win.”

The deadline for registering to vote in the primary is July 30 and the first day of early voting is Aug. 2. The last day to vote early in person is Aug. 24.