Will it be 'My Way' or highway for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio?

• Sheriff says if he has to go to jail, he's glad it won't be as tough as 'Tent City'
• Penzone promises to focus on policing, not politics
• Arpaio says he would be 'a trophy' for Obama administration

WICKENBURG — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio stood next to a cardboard cutout of Donald Trump at a Mexican restaurant on the outskirts of Phoenix, praising the Republican presidential candidate and railing against President Barack Obama.

The Republican sheriff, a national anti-illegal-immigration icon, is facing his toughest race in a quarter century, trailing Democrat Paul Penzone in some polls.

But support for Arpaio was strong at the Believers for Trump meeting as the crowd of about 50 cheered Arpaio's claim that the Democratic administration is targeting him for doing his job.

The U.S. Justice Department plans to prosecute Arpaio for a charge of criminal contempt for defying orders from a GOP-appointed federal judge to stop immigration raids in a long-running case that found his office engaged in racial profiling.

If found guilty of contempt, Arpaio could face up to six months in jail, though state law probably would not require him to resign because it's not clear if the charge is a misdemeanor or a felony. A decision is not expected before the election.

If the charge worried the sheriff, he didn't show it that night at Lydia's La Canasta. “If I do go to jail, I’m glad it’ll be federal because I’ll get three square meals a day,” he joked.

“I don’t want to go to my jail,” he continued, in a reference to the notorious bologna sandwiches and pink underwear he distributes to inmates who must sleep in the outdoor heat in Tent City.

More seriously, he questioned the timing of the charges.

“Of course they did that the day before voting started,” Arpaio told the crowd. “They’re hoping to destroy me so I can’t get elected. ... I’m kind of a trophy to the White House.”

Indeed, Penzone's rematch with the sheriff has become a sort of litmus test for a party hoping to turn Arizona blue for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Critical to success in both races is activating a coalition of first-time voters, Latinos and disaffected Republicans.

If Hillary Clinton wins Arizona, has the state turned blue?

An Arpaio victory, on the other hand, depends on maintaining the conservative strongholds in suburbs that ring Phoenix that have kept him in office since 1993.

Penzone lost by more than 80,000 votes to Arpaio four years ago with a third-party spoiler who isn't running this time. A confluence of other factors appears to have helped the 46-year-old retired Phoenix police sergeant gain ground.

At 84, Arpaio is older than U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Television ad spending this fall is closer to even after a political committee funded by liberal billionaire George Soros swooped in to support Penzone. And the contempt case against Arpaio represents the culmination of years of wearying lawsuits that have dogged the sheriff and eroded public support.

Arpaio's office now is under court monitoring, and he is appealing a finding of civil contempt, saying his violations weren't intentional.

'I've never backed down'

The man who has been branded as "America's Toughest Sheriff" brags about his old-school habits.

Arpaio doesn’t use a computer or email. His favorite song, Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” is the ringtone for his flip-phone. He touts his 50 years of law-enforcement experience, including his international work as a federal drug-enforcement agent.

“Despite all the criticism, I’ve always been tough on criminals,” the sheriff says in one ad. “I’ve never backed down from a fight, and I never will.”

Other ads emphasize his work against animal abuse and success rehabilitating inmates through a drug program.

Arpaio also has revamped an old attack on his opponent, calling him dangerous based on protective orders Penzone and his ex-wife filed against each other in a domestic dispute years ago.

A judge eventually dismissed the orders. Penzone’s ex-wife, while not denying the incident, released an affidavit this year that Penzone was not a violent husband. Penzone has sued Arpaio for defamation.

Though most polls have shown Arpaio trailing or tied with Penzone, the sheriff's campaign has advantages. The county leans heavily Republican and the party’s voters more reliably show up at the polls.

And Arpaio raises funds prolifically, particularly from donors outside Arizona. He collected nearly $13 million compared with Penzone’s roughly $1 million. Soros has attempted to balance the scales by pouring at least $3.2 million into the race, with about $1.5 million of it nearly matching the sheriff's spending on TV ads, according to finance reports and calculations by Paul Weich, co-founder of the website Arizona’s Politics.

Still Arpaio’s popularity is long standing. At the restaurant meeting, Vern Correa, 59, a Republican retired from the Army, recalled learning of Arpaio years ago when Correa lived in Hawaii.

“I finally met a legend,” said Correa, sporting a cowboy hat. “This man here has been fighting for justice for three-quarters of his life. I am so sick and tired of people not abiding by the laws. … We need stiff punishment.”

Penzone promises less politics

Penzone promises to remove politics from the Sheriff’s Office and focus on policing. He argues that Arpaio’s fame-hunting has hurt victims and cost taxpayers.

The sheriff’s office failed to investigate hundreds of sex crimes. Cases involving Arpaio or his office have racked up $142 million in legal expenses, settlements and court awards. And Arpaio continues to dedicate resources to investigating Obama’s birth certificate.

“It is long overdue that we take this office back and it becomes something we’re proud of,” Penzone said. “I have always been strong on crime. I have always pursued criminals to the end of the planet. Every victim’s voice matters to me.”

Penzone says he would consider closing the notorious Tent City. The Sheriff’s Office, when faced with the need to cut costs to afford legal fees, recently slashed employee raises rather than close the facility, despite it being nearly empty and other jails having open beds.

“Do you want a real law enforcement leader in your community or do you want to continue the propaganda?” Penzone asked.

Even some high-ranking Republicans are rooting publicly for the sheriff to go.

“How can any conservative support or vote for a person who is costing taxpayers this much money?” Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio told the Ahwatukee Foothills News. “Nobody in my family is voting for Joe, and that’s really, really hard because I like him personally and I like many of his policies.”

Critics work to get out the vote

In a race that could swing on a small number of votes, critics of the sheriff are hoping that newly registered and infrequent voters will cast early ballots this year.

On a sweltering October day, hundreds of anti-Arpaio activists were gathered to knock on thousands of doors across Phoenix. Some had driven in from as far as New Orleans, Chicago and Los Angeles.

They were organized by a new group, called Bazta Arpaio, or “No more Arpaio” in Spanish, in what was billed as the largest-ever canvass against the sheriff.

Diaz: Bazta Arpaio offers free (and likely illegal) rides to vote

A majority were Latinos in their teens and 20s, who shared tales of fear at the hands of his deputies. A young undocumented woman whose dreams of college were dashed after an arrest in a workplace raid and felony conviction for identity theft. A U.S. citizen high schooler whose undocumented mother was deported after law enforcement stopped her walking to Walmart. An undocumented family afraid to leave their house.

“Arpaio sets the tone for hate not just for Phoenix — for the whole country!” an organizer shouted.

In a low-income neighborhood with manicured lawns in south Phoenix, canvassers Daphne Cervantes, 17, and Maximiliano Gutierrez, 15, struck out at most apartments. Voters weren’t home or didn’t want to vote. But a few responded.

Heather Cadena, 26, had thrown away her mail-in ballot. Cervantes told her how to request a new one.

“I wasn’t even thinking about it,” said Cadena, whose boyfriend said he had endured the sheriff’s jails. She promised to take action. “I don’t like him (Arpaio). He degrades people.”

Finally, a vote for Penzone

Hector Roman Palomares, 22, had just woken up after a shift at a fast food restaurant. Red and pink roses bloomed outside his home.

His ballot was empty so far, but he pulled it out to fill in the arrow for Penzone after the canvassers asked him to.

“I’m in — the moment you said that,” Palomares said.

He acknowledged Arpaio helps the community sometimes, especially protecting animals.

“But the one humongous reason I don’t like him and will never vote for him ... is he’ll discriminate against anybody that looks illegal," Palomares said. "Even the court told him to stop doing the raids. He doesn’t learn the lesson.”

Back at the Trump meeting in Wickenburg, Arpaio's supporters hoped the sheriff would see a different outcome — at the ballot box and in the court room.

Restaurant owner Lydia Abril  led the group in prayer.

“Here is a man who has stood for truth and for righteousness. Has he made mistakes? We’ve all made mistakes,” Abril said. “We ask in the name of Jesus, you would raise a hedge of protection around Sheriff Joe and that you would bring favor in the courts.”

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