A drive to recall Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos is taking shape as anger over the Nancy Guthrie investigation spills into local politics, with Republican congressional candidate Daniel Butierez saying he has begun the effort and is assembling volunteers to try to force Nanos from office.
Butierez, who is running for the U.S. House in Arizona's 7th District, told the New York Post he moved ahead after hearing from frustrated deputies and residents who he said had lost confidence in Nanos as the disappearance of Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" host Savannah Guthrie, remained unsolved.
He described the recall push as bipartisan and said he already had about 500 volunteers and five notaries ready to help gather signatures.
He tied the effort directly to the Guthrie case and to broader questions about Nanos' leadership.
Butierez said Nanos "has been an embarrassment" to Tucson and Pima County and called recent allegations about the sheriff's employment history the final straw.
He also said deputies had wanted to launch the recall themselves but feared repercussions from Nanos.
That criticism comes after new scrutiny of the sheriff's background.
Arizona Public Media reported that Nanos amended his online resume after it showed he resigned from the El Paso Police Department in 1982 in lieu of termination, not in 1984 as his resume had said.
The sheriff's department said the discrepancies were clerical and administrative errors, not an attempt to mislead the public.
Butierez said deputies had delivered a unanimous no-confidence vote against Nanos on Friday. However, Newsmax was unable to verify the Friday vote independently.
The Arizona Daily Star reported a separate no-confidence vote against Nanos in 2024, saying 98.8% of 86 responding deputies supported it.
Whether the recall campaign becomes a ballot fight will depend on paperwork and signatures.
Arizona law says a recall can begin only after an official has held office for six months, and signatures equal to 25% of the votes cast for that office in the last election are required.
Official election records show 488,919 total votes were cast in the 2024 sheriff's race, which would put the threshold at about 122,230 valid signatures.
Butierez said he had received a serial number and had 120 days to collect signatures for the recall. Newsmax was also unable to verify the claim.
The pressure on Nanos is building as the Guthrie case remains open.
The FBI said Guthrie was last seen Jan. 31 at her Tucson home and described her as a vulnerable adult who has difficulty walking, has a pacemaker, and needs daily medication for a heart condition.
Separate FBI materials list reward amounts of up to $50,000 and up to $100,000. The Phoenix field office release says "up to $50,000," while the FBI wanted poster indicates "up to $100,000."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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