In November of 2023, Paul Penzone announced that he was stepping down as Maricopa County sheriff, which became effective in January of this year. (He took a job at Blue Cross Blue Shield.)

Since Penzone was a Democrat, state law required that the Maricopa Board of Supervisors replace him with another Democrat, in a procedure that hasn’t been used since 1946 when a sheriff died while in office. (The Board is currently majority Republican.) No Democrats applied for the job out of the eight men who applied.

The next day, Penzone’s chief deputy, Russell Skinner, changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat and won the spot. He will serve as temporary sheriff until November’s election. The lone Democrat on the five-person board was the only member to vote against Skinner as a replacement.

Now, Skinner will run as a Democrat, presenting himself as Penzone’s apolitical successor. While there are other Democrats running for the spot in the upcoming election, Skinner, as the incumbent, has the clear advantage.

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