Mark Lamb, a whimsical ex-sheriff and close chum of former President and reality TV star Donald J. Trump, has excitedly thrown his cowboy hat into the ring for the Arizona Senate race next year. Renowned as the Andy Griffith of elections and for scoffing at pandemic lockdowns, Lamb hopes to lasso the tightly contested position.

The 50-year old Lamb is the first high-profile Republican to gleefully hop on his horse and race for the seat, a term that seems better suited to a musical chair game. The seat is currently occupied by the party-hopping Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who ditched the Democrats like a bad date last December to become an independent. She hasn’t mentioned whether she’ll join the Senate hoedown, but one surefire Democratic contender already putting on his dancing boots is Ruben Gallego, a progressive Democrat from Phoenix.

In a dramatic monologue that would make Shakespeare proud, Lamb’s announcement video promised to “stand up to the woke left” and “secure our border and support our law enforcement.” A passionate performer, the ex-sheriff also threw in his token support for gun rights and anti-abortion beliefs.

Once upon a time in Pinal, Arizona’s third-most populous county of wannabe Gunslingers, Lamb, the lead sheriff in town, made headlines by stirring up trouble in 2020. He opted out of enforcing the state’s stay-at-home order, like a rebellious teenager skipping class. Then, he raised eyebrows when he sent friendly winks to the rioters who ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Mr. Lamb, a true entertainer, has also dabbled in spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election results while salsa dancing with private militias and taking a tough stance on immigration issues./n/n Serious news: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/11/us/politics/kyrsten-sinema-senate-seat-republican-mark-lamb.html