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Gay Republican sheriff Paul Babeu survives scandal, is reelected in Arizona’s Pinal County
Paul Babeu had originally hoped that on election day he would be celebrating a victory that was going to send him to Washington DC as a congressman from Arizona.
Instead, he was merely happy to be keeping the job he’s had since 2008: sheriff of the state’s Pinal County. He overcame publicity from a messy split from an ex-boyfriend that resulted in his coming out publicly and dropping out of the congressional race to run for sheriff again.
‘A lot of you have been family to me and have stood by me through thick and through thin,’ Babeu told supporters this week after his victory over Democrat Kevin Taylor of Maricopa and independent Ty Morgan of Florence.
‘I can tell you there’s been some dark days, but I knew you were there with me. I knew that you had my back and you wouldn’t leave me.’
Babeu was a rising Republican star on a national level and was even chairman the Mitt Romney’s presidential effort in Arizona.
But then in February, Phoenix New Times ran a story in which Babeu’s ex-boyfriend, Jose Orozco, accused the lawman of asking him to sign an agreement not to publicly discuss their relationship. When the offer was refused, he said Babeu, and his lawyer, allegedly threatened him with deportation.
Babeu denied the allegation.
Babeu was propelled into the national spotlight after the accusations from Orozco surfaced. He said an interview with CNN in February: ‘Political consultants told me ‘Paul, this could come out.’ I said, ‘You know what? People have threatened me my whole life. I’m not motivated by negativity and threats. I’m motivated by the positive.’
In March, Orozco filed a legal claim against Babeu and the Pinal County Board of Supervisors indicating that he intends to seek $1 million in damages alleging abuse of power, malicious prosecution, conspiracy, defamation and other civil-rights violations.
Orozco has said he is in the US on a 10-year tourist visa and that Babeu never asked him his legal status despite the lawman’s strong political stance against illegal immigration.
Comments
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2201 East says:
Nothing is said about the pictures or comments he posted on a male “sex” site. One would think that a man in his public position should have thought about them becoming known to the general population. If you like hime, you’d better like lots and lost of h…, among other things. Do you really want to know that about your sheriff???
rick says:
I am an Arizonan, He is sheriff of Pinal county, conservative folks. he had little trouble getting re-elected.
When this scandal was exposed and indeed it was a scandal Paul held a press conference and took this head on. He was re-elected for the way in which he handled himself during and after the scandal. He is a good example of how someone caught with their pants down needs to step up and deal with it.