Perry Gets Endorsement from Arizona Sheriff
Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio (left) has thrown his support behind Gov. Rick Perry's GOP presidential bid. Photo by Gage Skidmore and Todd Wiseman of the Texas TribuneAudio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has picked up an endorsement that could give him credibility among hard-line anti-illegal immigration voters. Jay Root is reporting from New Hampshire for KUT’s political reporting partner the Texas Tribune. He was there when Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the tough-minded sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona announced he was backing Perry’s presidential bid.
“On the one hand Joe Arpaio is known as America’s toughest sheriff, but he’s sort of soft-spoken,” says Root. “What he was saying, though, was very tough in terms of the policy to basically deport anybody who is here illegally. And Rick Perry is happy to have his endorsement because, frankly, he’s seen as weak on the illegal immigration issue by a lot of his supporters.”
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