The mainstream media is warning that nationally renowned Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, may lose the Republican primary today. An AP article warns, “Controversial Arizona Sheriff Faces Stiff Primary Competition, Legal Troubles.” Don’t hold your breath.

It’s true that the left has been coming after the outspoken, tough-on-crime conservative sheriff for several years, on charges of racial profiling due to his arrests of illegal immigrants. And since the courts are dominated by the left, his opponents have been able to do some significant damage to his reputation, with Federal District Court Judge Murray Snow referring Arpaio and several of his staffers for criminal contempt charges. But despite this long-running smear campaign, the primary race still isn’t close.

As local radio station KTAR declared last week, “Poll shows Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio winning the primary in a landslide.” The polling company Data Orbital found Arpaio beating his three opponents by at least 40 points — and this despite the fact that one of his opponents, Dan Saban, is fairly well known as a former police chief of Buckeye, Ariz., and ran against Arpaio twice before.

Where Arpaio will face a tough battle is in the general election. Polls show him neck and neck with Democrat Paul Penzone. The Penzone campaign released a poll in early August showing Penzone ahead 48-44.

Of course, polls conducted by candidates are notoriously biased toward those candidates. Arpaio defeated Penzone in 2012 by about 80,000 votes, approximately 50 to 44 percent. So even in the general election there is a good chance Arpaio will prevail.

Arizona voters feel overwhelmed with the problems of illegal immigration, due to Arizona’s proximity to the border with Mexico, and do not agree with activist judges who think that arresting illegal immigrants for traffic violations, DUIs, theft, etc., constitutes racial profiling.

Note: The author represented Sheriff Joe Arpaio briefly as his attorney in 2009-2010.

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