The Arizona Republican primary race to succeed Senator John McCain concluded last night and former birther posse sheriff Joe Arpaio didn't just lose; he finished in third place behind a candidate who barely raised the bar above his head.
The Phoenix New Times gave Arpaio the send-off he deserves this morning and, as they point out, Kelli Ward may have been an avowed conspiracy theorist who believes in Chemtrails, but Joe Arpaio still managed to become the most absurd candidate.
Arpaio was notable in this race for raising only a fraction of the millions he soaked up during his six successful campaigns for sheriff, and for humiliating himself in epic fashion by agreeing to accept an “amazing blowjob” from President Donald Trump during an episode of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America?
The 86-year-old ex-lawman claimed he’d been “duped,” telling Phoenix New Times news editor Ray Stern that he was genuinely confused by Cohen, who posed as a spazzed-out, orange-haired YouTube star from Finland.
Kelli Ward's closing message was that John McCain timed his own death to sabotage her campaign, but she still received more votes than Joe Arpaio.
Martha McSally received 52 percent of the vote, Kelli Ward received 28 percent, and Joe Arpaio received just 18 percent of the vote.
In other words, nearly half of Republican primary voters in Arizona voted for two completely unhinged individuals. The other half voted for an average Republican who will face Representative Kyrsten Sinema (D) in the general election.