Controversial ex-Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio says he is 'seriously, seriously, seriously considering running for the US Senate'

Joe Arpaio, 85, was sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona from 1993 until 2016
He said he was not interested in running for Trent Franks' congressional seat
But he admitted that retiring Senator Jeff Flake's seat has caught his eye
It comes four months after controversial sheriff was pardoned by Trump

Published: 11:18 GMT, 8 December 2017 | Updated: 13:22 GMT, 8 December 2017

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Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said he is 'seriously, seriously, seriously considering running for the US Senate.'

The 85-year-old said he was not interested in running for Trent Franks' congressional seat when the republican resigns in January for asking staffers to be surrogate mothers for his child.

But he admitted retiring Senator Jeff Flake's seat has caught his eye.

Former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio (pictured this summer) has said he is 'seriously, seriously, seriously considering running for the US Senate.'

While buying meat at a Deli counter on Thursday, he told a Daily Beast reporter : 'No, I would not consider Franks' seat, but I am considering running for the Senate, Flake's seat. I feel like I just gave you a little scoop there.'

He faces stiff competition for the seat in the form of Kelli Ward, a former state senator who already has significant financial backing for a re-run.

Arpaio was dubbed 'America's toughest sheriff' for his crackdown on illegal immigrants during his 24 years in charge in Maricopa County, Arizona.

In August President Donald Trump pardoned the controversial sheriff less than a month after he was convicted of criminal contempt in a case involving racial profiling.

Trump signed the pardon for the 85-year-old Arpaio citing his long history of public service.

Arpaio, who campaigned for Trump in 2016, was convicted by a judge who ruled he had willfully violated a 2011 injunction barring his officers from stopping and detaining Latino motorists solely on suspicion that they were in the country illegally.

The former sheriff was facing up to six months in prison after he admitted to inadvertently disobeying the court order.

But he said the prosecution was a politically motivated attempt by the Obama administration to undermine his re-election bid.

President Donald Trump has pardoned controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio (above) who was convicted of federal contempt earlier this year

Trump said in the statement pardoning Arpaio: 'Arpaio’s life and career, which began at the age of 18 when he enlisted in the military after the outbreak of the Korean War, exemplify selfless public service

'Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life’s work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration.'

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now eighty-five years old, and after more than fifty years of admirable service to our Nation, he is worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon.'

Arpaio, who lost a bid for re-election in Arizona’s Maricopa County in November after 24 years in office, was known for his crackdown on undocumented immigrants and investigating unfounded Trump-supported claims questioning former President Barack Obama’s citizenship.

Before Trump granted the pardon, the American Civil Liberties Union, which sought the court injunction against Arpaio, said it would be 'a presidential endorsement of racism.'