The votes are all in and it's official: Geriatric racist Joe Arpaio is yet again a loser. The 90-year-old faced his third electoral defeat since 2016 this week, losing the race for mayor of Fountain Hills, Arizona. How the mighty have fallen. One day a powerful, corrupt sheriff, and the next can’t even get elected mayor of his own town.

But even though all the votes are in and Arpaio has lost, he hasn’t yet conceded. In fact, Arpaio laughably suggests he may challenge the result. “I am not saying I am going to do it,” he told the Associated Press. “I’m not a lawyer. I just want a little information. In today’s environment, a large percentage of the people are not happy with the way the (election) system was working.”

It’s true, Republicans at large don’t believe elections are legitimate if a Democratic candidate emerges as the winner. Ted Cruz, for example, this past January, was still refusing to answer if President Joe Biden won the 2020 election (he did).

But Arpaio knows his race is over. He knows he’s lost. He’s just figured out he can continue raising some cash by pretending it’s not over, including ridiculously charging attendees to wish him a happy birthday, as Phoenix New Times reported last month.

“He insisted the bash was not a fundraising event, but that didn't stop him from charging partygoers $45 a pop to get in the door. Once inside, attendees didn't think twice about purchasing Inkjet-printed photos of Arpaio's birthday cake for $741.40, plus tax and shipping,” the report said. “For the sensible price of $741.70 plus tax, you too can become the proud owner of an acrylic print of Joe Arpaio's 90th birthday cake, featuring the titular line from his favorite song: My Way. None of that money appeared on Arpaio's most recent campaign finance reports.”

Several Daily Kos community members wondered last week why in the world anyone would pay $741.70 plus tax for an Inkjet-printed photo of a cake. I still have no answers why, but that these suckers will shell out $741.70 plus tax for a photo they can easily take with their phone is why Arpaio wants to pretend his race, which is over, isn’t over.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Arpaio has been rejected by Fountain Hills, a rich suburb he’s lived in for more than 20 years. He’s also lost this town during numerous failed campaigns that followed his 2016 loss to current Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone.

The AP reported he lost Fountain Hills during races in 2018 and 2020, when he ran for U.S. Senate, and then when he sought to challenge Penzone for his old seat. “Arpaio, a skilled political fundraiser who spent more than $12 million in his 2016 sheriff’s campaign, has shelled out $161,000 in the mayor’s race—six times the amount spent by” incumbent Fountain Hills Mayor Ginny Dickey.

Per Aug. 10 numbers posted by Maricopa County, Arpaio received more than 5,200 votes, trailing Dickey by just over 200 votes. Despite the fact that he lost, it is still very disturbing that nearly half the voters in the town voted for this disgrace of a human being. They know damn well what he is. We all do.

Source: Gabe Ortiz/M.dailykos.com

Date Posted: Friday, August 12th, 2022 , Total Page Views: 380