Former presidential candidate Ben
Carson on Wednesday endorsed Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Paul
Babeu's congressional campaign.
Last month, Babeu won the Republican
primary in Arizona's 1st Congressional District.
“Sheriff Paul Babeu is a man of
incredible character who knows how to secure our border and keep
Arizonans safe,” Carson said in a statement. “I know when he
gets to Congress he will work tirelessly to improve our economy and
bring real border security to America. I know Sheriff Babeu will do a
great job representing Arizona in Congress and he has my full
support.”
Babeu's campaign has largely focused on
immigration and protecting coal jobs.
A previous attempt to reach the House
in 2012 imploded amid allegations that Babeu threatened to deport a
former boyfriend if he discussed their relationship. Jose Orozco's
undocumented status, which he claimed Babeu was aware of, ran
contrary to Babeu's get-tough stance on illegal immigration. Babeu
instead sought re-election as sheriff and was later exonerated of any
criminal charges.
A new ad released last week targets
Babeu's tenure running a boarding school. The spot uses clips from
an
ABC15 investigation which aired in 2012 that shows Babeu in a
home video praising the school's discipline policies. After state
official shut down the DeSisto School, Babeu repeatedly denied that
he was aware of the school's extreme punishments. The 30-second spot
was created by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Carson has also endorsed Donald Trump's
bid for the White House.