With each passing week, Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio grows more desperate and resorts to more pressure and intimidation of the people connected in any way to his re-election hopes. A legislative district chairman and members of the media are just the latest to experience the Arpaio blitz.

On April 15, Republican precinct committeemen in Legislative District 22 (Gilbert) passed a resolution withholding an endorsement of Arpaio and a second resolution endorsing his Republican rival, Dan Saban. These grassroots Republicans are disenchanted with Arpaio for supporting the campaigns of Democrats (Gov.) Janet Napolitano and Phil Gordon, the newly-elected mayor of Phoenix. As D22 chairman Bill Norton explained in a Wednesday morning email message to dozens of precinct committeemen, the endorsements caused "quite a stir."

"Monday morning, I got a phone call directly from Joe Arpaio himself," Norton said in his message. "He spent a good 30-40 minutes trying to convince me that he did not endorse, support or promote Janet Napolitano. He was quite threatening at times and continually referred to you PCs and District 22 as 'a small, insignificant district.' I corrected him on his perception. He also is said to have told a reporter that we are just a group of 'wacko East Valley Mormons.' This morning at 7 a.m., KTAR (Radio, of Phoenix) did a short interview with me about the resolution. The producer of that show told me that Joe called him at his home to try and intimidate him into not airing the interview."

Norton called it a "great thing that we have done" in standing up to Arpaio.

"The emperor is wearing no clothes, and District 22 was brave enough to say it," Norton wrote in his message to PCs. "Now I believe our actions will have a snowball effect. It has been indicated to me that others will follow. Hopefully, this will give elected officials who have been scared of Joe in the past (the courage) to come out against him."

In addition, Norton wrote that Arpaio has caused a lot of damage to the Republican party, particularly to Matt Salmon, the Republican candidate for governor who in 2002 lost to Napolitano by less than 12,000 votes.

"Arpaio’s commercials most likely made the difference," Norton said. "The last frame of the commercial is a picture of Joe with a bold title: 'Urgent Message.' To the side, it states, 'Join Sheriff Joe Arpaio in rejecting the attacks against Janet Napolitano.' Under that, it says, “Paid for by Janet Napolitano For Governor Committee.' In response to criticism about the ad, Joe said, 'I didn’t endorse her, but I don’t like this vicious television ad that (Independent Party candidate) Mahoney put out.' The ad campaign also criticized Matt Salmon about the same polygamy issue that Joe was defending Janet for, but he did not do the same for Matt."

Norton said that when Salmon won the Republican Primary in September 2002, Salmon phoned Arpaio to ask for his endorsement.

"He (Arpaio) told Matt that he could not do that because he has been friends with Janet for years," Norton wrote in his message. "Matt then asked him to at least stay out of the race. Joe said, 'you have my word.' When others confirmed that position, Joe restated that his word is his bond, he would stay out of it. After the ads aired, Matt called Joe to ask him why he went back on his commitment. Joe told him that he did not, he did not endorse Janet. He was simply protecting a fellow law enforcement official. Matt then asked him if he would do the same for him about the same issue. Joe replied 'I cannot.'”

Republican Randy Pullen witnessed opposition from the sheriff when he ran for mayor in Phoenix in 2003. Arpaio backed Democrat candidate and eventual winner Phil Gordon. Mayor Gordon has repaid the favor by hosting a fundraiser this year for Arpaio, who will face off against Tom Bearup and Dan Saban in the Sept. 7th Republican Primary.

In January, Maricopa County GOP officials punished Arpaio for his disloyalty to the party. Neither Arpaio or other county officials were allowed to sit on the stage at the annual Maricopa County GOP mandatory meeting for PCs. County attorney Rick Romley had also supported Gordon's campaign.

Arpaio's election opponents have accused him and his deputies of a list of irregularities, ranging from wiretapping, putting them under surveillance and intimidating individuals who have endorsed them. 

Norton said, "The Republican party has stood by Joe for years, even when things got heated when he first got into office. He has thumbed his nose at all of those hard working Republicans who fought so hard to elect him as sheriff. It is time to remind these public officials who put them in office — Republicans."

In closing his message to the PCs, Norton thanked them for their courage.

The Arizona Conservative has requested an interview with Sheriff Arpaio, but has yet to receive a response.

Meanwhile, the website www.arpaio.com is documenting claims made by the critics of Arpaio, a group called Mothers Against Arpaio is "informing people of the mismanagement and abuse of power associated with Sheriff Joe and the jails he runs," and an Italian crime fighting organization has dropped its support of the man who gave himself the handle "America's Toughest Sheriff." The Feb. 20th Rocky Mountain Poll had Arpaio's favorable rating at 71 percent.