Penzone poised to challenge Arpaio

Former Phoenix police Sgt. Paul Penzone appeared to be next in line to challenge Sheriff Joe Arpaio for the title of Maricopa County sheriff after establishing an early lead Tuesday over his counterpart, John Rowan, in the Democratic primary.

Penzone led Rowan by more than a two-to-one ratio with more than a third of the votes counted. The winner faces Arpaio in November.

Penzone enjoyed the support of the Democratic Party and the financial base that comes with it. Rowan, former assistant to the Goodyear police chief, struggled to generate momentum with his self-styled grassroots campaign.

Penzone raised more than $220,000 through early August. Rowan, who was fired from the Goodyear Police Department in December for insubordination, raised more than $2,500 from donors and loaned his campaign more than $12,000 to stay active in the race.

Rowan's campaign took a hit last month when he helped to bail assault suspect Kolton Clark out of jail. Clark claimed sheriff's detention officers beat him, and his family called Rowan to plead for help. The Sheriff's Office denied any employees touched Clark during his incarceration on assault charges. The Sheriff's Office later accused Clark of making a false report.

Penzone now turns his attention to Arpaio, the five-term incumbent whose national support has remained high even as polls indicate his popularity in Maricopa County has waned.

Penzone has already created one ad attacking Arpaio over the handling of sex-crime investigations in the Sheriff's Office. He said he will continue to focus on how the agency lost focus under Arpaio by pursuing initiatives not directly related to the sheriff's statutory responsibilities to operate the jails, bring inmates to court and patrol unincorporated areas.

Arpaio has raised more than $7.5million in his re-election effort, with most of those funds coming from out-of-state donors. Arpaio had about $4.2million on hand as of early August, launching new television ads that hit the air this week. Penzone had a fraction of that -- about $72,000 -- available for his campaign at the end of the most recent reporting period, but last week he made a trip to the Bay Area to generate support at an event hosted by former Mesa Police Chief and current San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón.

In a roomful of supporters Tuesday night, Penzone delivered a message to Arpaio: "He can pile up his tank, his green bologna, his pink underwear and his tents, and we will go through it, over it and around it ? whatever we need to do to restore integrity to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office."

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