"America's Toughest Sheriff" is not interested in the congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. — but is "seriously, seriously, seriously" considering a Senate run, The Daily Beast reported.
In remarks Thursday, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio called Franks "a great man and a great friend" and said his resignation would be "a great loss for Arizona and our country" — but Arpaio has no interest in his job.
"I am seriously, seriously, seriously considering running for the U.S. Senate, not the congressman's seat," Arpaio told the outlet.
Franks announced his intent to resign next month following reports he approached two female staffers about the possibility of serving as surrogates for him and his wife.
"No, I would not consider it, but I am considering running for the Senate, [retiring Sen. Jeff] Flake's seat," Arpaio told The Daily Beast. "I feel like I just gave you a little scoop there."
Should Arpaio enter the field, he would likely go up against Kelli Ward, a former state senator who has the backing of a pro-Trump Super PAC and the Mercer family, which is associated with Stephen Bannon, the outlet reported.
Defeated in 2016, and then convicted of criminal contempt of court this year for his refusal to stop detaining Latinos based on the belief they were in the country illegally — for which he was pardoned by President Donald Trump — Arpaio is not intimidated by the daunting political challenge.
"I've beat 'em six times before," he told The Daily Beast.
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