The 2024 Republican primary for Maricopa County Sheriff is set to be a very close contest, featuring three prominent candidates with extensive law enforcement backgrounds. Mike Crawford is a veteran with a multifaceted career as a sheriff deputy, police officer, and former DEA agent. Colonel Frank Milstead, is the former Mesa Chief of Police and the past director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Jerry Sheridan, with a 40-year tenure in the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), has served in roles ranging from detention officer to chief deputy.
Late in the race, former Sheriff Joe Arpaio endorsed Milstead (pictured above, left) over Sheridan (pictured above, right), who was Arpaio’s chief deputy from 2011 to 2016. In 2020, Sheridan won the primary for Maricopa Sheriff over Arpaio and went on to lose the general election to Democrat Paul Penzone.
Russ Skinner, the current Maricopa County Sheriff who succeeded Penzone after his unexpected retirement in January 2024, inherited significant challenges due to ongoing court orders from the Melendres v. Arpaio lawsuit. This lawsuit exposed racial profiling within the MCSO. Skinner, a former Republican who switched to the Democratic Party to secure the appointment, emphasized the need for the sheriff’s role to remain apolitical. If he wins his own primary against Democrat Tyler Kamp, he will face the winner of the Republican primary in the upcoming election.
The three leading Republican candidates have participated in numerous debates across Maricopa County. A televised debate hosted by PBS, a Clean Elections Debate, and the most recent debate hosted by AmericaPack, which was attended by The Arizona Sun Times.
The Sun Times interviewed all three Republican candidates and asked about their qualifications for sheriff. Crawford is the only candidate without substantial formal leadership experience. During debates, he emphasized, “I’m the only candidate who served in the military as a non-commissioned officer.”
Crawford often highlights his resilience, saying he is “tough as lightning” because he survived a lightning strike that ended his military career.
He told The Sun Times, “Stripes, stars, and bars don’t make you a leader.” Crawford said the MCSO needs a leader it can be “proud of” and compared his candidacy to Sheriff Mark Lamb, “who also had no prior leadership experience before becoming sheriff.”
Milstead (pictured above, middle) characterized his “vast leadership in law enforcement” by a “focus on transparency, accountability, and community collaboration.” Over his 35-year career, he said he held various command positions in the Phoenix Police Department and led the Mesa Police Department as police chief.
Sheridan said he has a 40-year career with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, “serving as a detention officer, deputy, and chief deputy.” During the televised debate, he highlighted his extensive command-level experience and leadership in helping to oversee one of the largest sheriff’s departments in the country. Sheridan emphasized to The Sun Times, he is the “only candidate with direct experience in running a jail, a primary function of the Sheriff’s office.” He gave the analogy, “you wouldn’t hire a Marine to run the Navy.”
The Sun Times asked each candidate what the Constitution requires from a sheriff and if he would consider himself a “constitutional sheriff.” All three men affirmed that if the federal government issued an “unconstitutional” order, their oath to the Constitution would prevent them from obeying it. They all identified as “constitutional sheriffs.”
However, Sheridan noted, “I have the endorsement of Sheriff Mack, who founded a Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, and I have learned from Randy Miller, a constitutional expert.” All three candidates agreed that a sheriff’s primary duty is to answer to the people and ensure their safety.
Controversies Surround Each Campaign
Crawford faced allegations stemming from a messy divorce 25 years ago. He stated, “If people have to dig up dirt from 25 years ago, it shows there’s nothing recent to hold against me.” He emphasized his parenting success. “I received full custody of my kids, and they have grown into fine adults,” he said.
Crawford asserted in social media and to The Sun Times, “I am the only man not on a Brady List,” challenging the credibility of his opponents.
The “Brady List,” named after the landmark 1963 Supreme Court case Brady v. Maryland, is a record maintained by prosecutors of police officers who have engaged in or are accused of conduct that could affect their credibility as witnesses.
Milstead denied Crawford’s allegation of being on a Brady List, backing his claim with a letter from County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. Crawford said, “there is more than one Brady list.”
Sheridan said that he is listed on a Brady List, attributing his placement to political motivations. He explained, “I wasn’t placed on the list until six years after I retired, and it was politically motivated.” Sheridan criticized the current state of the list, saying, “The Brady List has been watered down because so many people have been placed on it.”
During the televised debates, Sheridan stated that he wouldn’t bring back the same “tent city” but would instead create something more like barracks. Both Sheridan and Crawford also said they would reinstate the posse.
Sheridan defended his candidacy by highlighting his experience, stating, “I would be the best choice for Sheriff because there would be no learning curve, and I could hit the ground running. The last two Sheriffs from a police background didn’t have skills that transferred well to this role.”
Milstead expressed his gratitude for the broad endorsements from law enforcement and various other groups. He said, “They know that I am an honorable man, and we are the only campaign ready to lead Maricopa County.”
In the last debate, Crawford emphasized the financial burden of federal oversight on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, stating, “The Department of Justice has had oversight over the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office since 2013. This has cost taxpayers over $300 million. I am running to clean up the mess of the past and end the oversight of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.”
The last campaign finance report, filed in April, showed the candidates’ fundraising efforts. At that time, Milstead had only been in the race for one month. Crawford reported $113,796.79, Milstead $21,756, and Sheridan $282,881.13.
Arizona voters will go to the polls on July 30.
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Christy Kelly is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Christy on Twitter / X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike Crawford” by Mike Crawford. Photo “Jerry Sheridan” by Sheridan4Sheriff2024. Photo “Frank Milstead” by Frank Milstead.
