Mark Lamb signed off ceremonially for the last time as Pinal County Sheriff shortly after midnight on New Years’ Day, ending an eight-year tenure as the top elected law-enforcement official of the county.
In a post to X, accompanying video of his broadcast to the department, Lamb announced that his career in law-enforcement has come to an end. He wrote, “It’s impossible to sum up in one post how I feel tonight! I knew this day would eventually come, but it still doesn’t make it easy. I have loved this career! Thank you does not even begin to justify my gratitude to my family, my command staff, all of the sheriff’s office employees, all of my fellow law enforcement and to my community. This has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life, especially the last eight years as Sheriff of Pinal County. Not only is 2024 coming to an end tonight, my career (in) Law Enforcement has come to an end as well. We gave it a good run! God Bless and Happy New Year!”
It’s impossible to sum up in one post how I feel tonight! I knew this day would eventually come, but it still doesn’t make it easy. I have loved this career! Thank you does not even begin to justify my gratitude to my family, my command staff, all of the sheriffs office… pic.twitter.com/1PjgpO0v7Q
Lamb opened his transmission identifying himself by the Sheriff’s callsign ‘Pinal One,’ and offered his emotional thanks to county dispatchers, deputies, corrections officers, employees, posses, COPs and his command staff. He closed his remarks by asking dispatch to show him as the police-standard ‘ten-code’ of 10-7 “Out of service,” which typically signifies the end of an officer’s watch or shift, for the final time.
Former gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson thanked Lamb and congratulated him in a statement posted to X, “Arizonans are safer for the work and dedication Sheriff Lamb has put in to defend our communities the last 8 years. In addition to all of the work he’s done, he’s been one of the top advocates in the country for dealing with the problems on our border and been a strong advocate for border security. Thank you, @sherifflamb1, for everything you have done and do on behalf of the people of Arizona!”
Arizonans are safer for the work and dedication Sheriff Lamb has put in to defend our communities the last 8 years.
In addition to all of the work he’s done, he’s been one of the top advocates in the country for dealing with the problems on our border and been a strong advocate… https://t.co/zSxTrBTgnX
In a Dec. 17th interview with KTAR’s Mike Broomhead, Lamb dismissed any further political office in his future following his primary election defeat to Kari Lake. “Politics in my future? It’s not a high probability.” He added, “But I am going to stay involved in the border.”
He told Broomhead that he’s currently working with the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR): “I’m gonna stay very active on [the] border and continue to tell people what’s going on there.”
The former Sheriff told KTAR in a statement that he’s hoping to assist the incoming Trump administration in its ongoing efforts to improve border security.
“As this administration begins to form itself out, and they start getting to work and starting to secure our border, holding people accountable who broke the law, I think that there will be some space there to at least consult, or help or sit on some boards or something that has to do with helping these policies,” Lamb said.
He told the outlet that he’s also willing to bring policy suggestions to Congress and work with them to pass more effective laws to address illegal immigration.
“I hope to be of some assistance as we try to fix this border crisis that this administration has created — or really, thrown gas on — over the last four years,” Lamb concluded. “I’m gonna stay in that law enforcement space, mental health space and border security.”
Former gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson responded to a report from 12News’ Braham Resnick about the ‘Future Freedoms PAC’ pumping money into Arizona elections to turn the legislature blue. Her answer? Join her Arizona PAC.
Taylor Robson stressed that if successful in gaining control of the Arizona legislature, the Democrats would “turn Arizona into a place none of us recognize,” citing “Higher Taxes,” “More Regulations,” “Open Borders,” and “Rising Crime.”
She added, “This is not what Arizonans stand for, and I will keep fighting to protect the state we know & love.”
The Left will stop at nothing to turn Arizona into a place none of us recognize:
The Arizona PAC, launched in 2023, lists Taylor Robson and Tucson philanthropist Jim Click of the Click family of car dealerships as the committee’s leadership. According to the website, the purpose of the PAC is that “to maintain and grow the Republican majorities in the Arizona legislature.”
The PAC wrote:
“Arizona has benefited from decades of conservative leadership and conservative policies. Arizona is a business-friendly, pro-family state that has grown due to a low-tax, low regulatory environment. Thanks to conservative governance, Arizona’s workers have the right to work and our families have the right to choose the best education options for our children.
These priorities and others are at risk if we allow far left policies to take over. Arizona’s legislature is a target of big out-of-state interests hoping to turn Arizona bright blue and make our state the next California with high taxes, high barriers to opportunity and government involvement in all aspects of our lives.”
Taylor Robson was defeated in the 2022 gubernatorial primary election by Kari Lake. Lake went on to be defeated in a highly contested election by Democrat Katie Hobbs with the results of the election marred by litigation for months afterword. Since facing off against Lake, Taylor Robson in turn endorsed both Lake and President Donald Trump following the August primary going into the 2024 elections.
In an interview with the New York Post, she told critics of her endorsement, “It’s a binary choice. It’s Donald Trump or Kamala Harris. You look at the conservative and Republican vision for America or the Democrat vision for America, and they’re two completely different visions.” She added, “Take personalities out of it.”
“I do not subscribe at all to Kamala Harris’s vision for America, which is colossal government, growth of the regulatory state, more taxes now, price controls, open borders, chaos in our streets. That is not my vision for America. I want a safe and secure America,” she continued.
Taylor Robson also took aim at Democrat Senatorial nominee Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) saying , “He, like Kamala Harris, is very much remaking themselves from where they are, right? Ruben Gallego was a member of the Progressive Caucus his entire career in Washington until he decided to run for the US Senate.”
On Wednesday, Kari Lake declared herself victorious in the Republican primary election for governor. On Thursday, the rest of the state followed.
Lake has nearly 19,800 more votes than her main challenger, Karrin Taylor Robson, as of Thursday night. She was one of several candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and former Vice President Mike Pence had endorsed Taylor Robson, who held a commanding six point lead when the first results were announced around 8 p.m. Election Day. However, that margin continued to shrink as updated results were announced throughout the late evening hours.
With nearly 200,000 ballots across the state still needing to be tabulated as of Wednesday morning, election observers predicted Lake would likely receive the majority of the still-to-be-counted votes. They pointed to the Lake campaign’s well-executed “get out the vote” promotion for election day.
Those predictions held true throughout Wednesday as additional results were announced. Lake quickly pushed ahead of Taylor Robson and held a small lead all day.
Then on Thursday, Lake’s margin of victory continued to expand as the bulk of the previously unreported votes were announced. Shortly after 7 p.m., the Associated Press declared Lake the winner. Her margin of victory is holding at just less than three percent.
.@KariLake has officially taken every single county in Arizona.
Lake was brutally critical of Taylor Robson during the primary but hopes her main challenger “will come over” to support Lake’s campaign against the Democratic nominee, current Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
“We don’t maybe agree on every single thing. but I think we agree on the most important issues of the day,” Lake said of Taylor Robson. “And I believe that Karrin will come in because I know for a fact Karrin loves this state.”
The Republican Governors Association (RGA) released a statement late Thursday congratulating Lake on her victory. Ducey, who is co-chairman of the RGA, was not quoted in the statement. Instead, the comments came from RGA Vice-Chair Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa.
“From tackling Biden’s border crisis, to standing up for law enforcement, or keeping Arizona’s economy growing, Kari is ready to fight for Arizona,” according to Reynolds. “In contrast, Katie Hobbs is nothing more than a radical far-left politician whose open borders, anti-law enforcement views are completely out of step with mainstream Arizona.”
Congrats to @KariLake who has inspired an entirely new generation of Republicans to show up and vote in Arizona. The @AZGOP is lucky to have one of the most inspiring and exciting candidates in America this cycle and I could not be more happy to get out and work for her. pic.twitter.com/XBJqfuppzV
Lake and Taylor Robson led a field of five Republicans seeking to take on Hobbs. One of those candidates was former Congressman Matt Salmon, who withdrew from the race in late June, past the deadline for having his name removed from the ballot.
Salmon received more than 27,700 primary votes despite throwing his support to Taylor Robson. Nearly 86 percent of those voters would have had to follow Salmon over to the Taylor Robson camp in order hold off Lake.
The other Republican candidates were Scott David Neely, who received almost 23,000 votes, and Paola “Z” Tulliani-Zen, who received nearly 15,500 votes.
On Tuesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon ended his campaign, citing low polling numbers. Salmon received an average of 12 to 14 percent of the vote in recent polls against his top two contenders, Karrin Taylor Robson and Kari Lake.
“Unfortunately, numbers are numbers, and it has become clear to me that the path to a first-place victory is no longer a realistic possibility,” stated Salmon. “Republican primary voters deserve more than having their votes split on August 2nd, and so I am leaving this race for the same reason that I entered it: because it is what’s best for the people of Arizona.”
I've been blessed with the best supporters in the world – but numbers are numbers, and primary voters deserve more than having their votes split.
So, today, I am ending my #AZGov campaign for the same reason I entered it: Because it is what's best for the people of Arizona → pic.twitter.com/V2MaR10n9r
Salmon is the latest to drop out in the crowded Republican primary. Steve Gaynor withdrew at the end of April, also citing low polling numbers against top contenders Salmon, Lake, and Robson.
“This week I received survey results that showed I would have a high probability of winning against each of the other candidates in a head-to-head matchup,” wrote Gaynor. “In a three-way race, I would have a reasonable probability of winning. However, in a four-way race, my chance of winning is low enough to be unrealistic.”
— Steve Gaynor for Arizona Governor (@gaynorforgov) April 29, 2022
State Treasurer Kimberly Yee withdrew at the beginning of this year, deciding to run for re-election to her current office instead.
I am withdrawing from the Governor's race to stand for re-election as Treasurer. There is additional work to be done as the Treasurer of Arizona. As I transition my campaign, I want to thank my supporters and invite them to join me in my re-election efforts for Arizona Treasurer. pic.twitter.com/WiArCuBisQ
That leaves Robson, Lake, Scott Neely, and Paola Tulliani-Zen, along with several write-ins: Patrick Finerd, Carlos Roldan, and Alex Schatz. Robson and Lake are the top two contenders in the field at present.
The most recent poll from Trafalgar showed Lake with a 12-point lead over Robson.
However, Data Orbital polling from earlier this month revealed Lake with a four-point lead over Robson. The pollsters have an A/B rating from FiveThirtyEight.
Another poll from OH Predictive Insights this month showed Lake with an even smaller margin of two points.
Real Clear Politics averaged Lake at a seven-point lead ahead of Robson.
The Democratic primary is far smaller: Secretary of State Katie Hobbs is up against businessman and career politician Marco Lopez. Former state legislator Aaron Lieberman withdrew last month.
OH Predictive Insights has consistently shown Hobbs with a comfortable lead over Lopez. In May, the pollsters found that 43 percent of those surveyed would vote for Hobbs, while only 9 percent would vote for Lopez. However, 40 percent reported that they were undecided.
Predictive polling on who would win the governor’s race consistently showed Hobbs with a lead.
According to a May poll from GQR Research which Hobbs sponsored, the secretary of state led Robson by one point and Lake by five points. GQR has a B rating from FiveThirtyEight.
Data Orbital polling from February, which has an A/B rating, reported slightly different leads: Hobbs would lead Robson by five points and Salmon by one point, but Lake would lead Hobbs by one point.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Monday, Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee, and Arizona Board of Regents member, Karrin Taylor Robson, announced their plans to run in the governor’s race.
The announcements have been expected for some time.
Yee has spent most of her adult life working in the government sector.
Yee served as executive fellow for the Office of the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, program and policy analyst for Wilson on the California State Board of Education. She served as deputy cabinet secretary for the Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, before becoming director of communications and government affairs for the Arizona State Treasurer’s Office.
Yee was appointed by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to the Arizona House of Representatives to replace fellow Republican Doug Quelland after he was ousted for violating Clean Election Limits. She was later elected to the State Senate. She was elected to the Treasurer’s Office in 2018.
Taylor Robson was appointed to the Arizona Board of Regents in June of 2017 by Governor Doug Ducey.
Taylor Robson is the founder and president of a development company, Arizona Strategies. Prior to forming Arizona Strategies, Taylor Robson served as executive vice president of DMB Associates, Inc., a Scottsdale-based master-planned community developer. Prior to DMB, she was a principal with the law firm of Biskind, Hunt & Taylor, P.L.C., where she practiced in the areas of land use, development and zoning law representing large land owners on complex land use cases.
