Politics: “Outed” Arizona sheriff won’t quit Congressional race after scandal
- I’ve never defined myself by anything other than my service, and my duty, and what we should all be judged on in life. We’ve all had relationships, as is clear as day now — now this is national news — that I have had one where he wanted to harm me. And now this is rolled out, and the timing is more than a coincidence.
- Pinal County, Ariz. Sheriff Paul Babeu • On having to “out” himself in light of a personal scandal. The sheriff, currently running for a Republican Congressional seat in Arizona, had been dogged by rumors that he threatened to deport an ex-lover to Mexico if their relationship a secret wasn’t kept. In order to deny those rumors, Babeu held a press conference and, in turn, announced his sexuality. Babeu, a hard-line conservative who had been a rising GOP star prior to the scandal, recently spoke at CPAC, where he called his primary opponent, Rep. Paul Gosar “most liberal Republican member of Congress.” Babeu thinks political rivals were behind the recent scandal. “I’ve got a record of service. people know me. I want to be judged, as every American should be, on results,” Babeu said. Does Babeu stand a shot at getting elected in the wake of this news? source