Former Maricopa County Sheriff and Fountain Hills resident Joe Arpaio announced Tuesday morning, Jan. 9, that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate to fill the seat being vacated by the retirement of Senator Jeff Flake.

“I am running for the U.S. Senate from the Great State of Arizona, for one unwavering reason: to support the agenda and policies of President Donald Trump in his mission to Make America Great Again,” Arpaio said in a statement released Tuesday morning.

“Like most Americans I have sworn to serve and protect all these years, I am sick of the smugness that has taken over the Senate chambers of our Capitol, and I am fed up with career politicians and their talking points, saying one thing and doing another.

“It’s past time for the Senate to regain the confidence of the American people - to re-earn it actually - and I am committed to return the Senate to a tough work ethic America expects and deserves.

“We stand at a crossroads,” he added, “with the power to either preserve or protect our traditional values of freedom, or to stand by and witness by our hand the downfall of the republic. As for me, I will continue to stand and fight to do the right thing for Arizona and for America.”