Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos and a sergeant he recently placed on leave have filed their petitions with the county elections office.
Nanos, a Democrat, filed 1,650 signatures, exceeding the required number of 771. He is running unopposed in the Aug. 30 primary election.
Terry Staten, a Republican, filed 2,012 signatures.
Mark Napier, a retired Tucson police officer who ran against then-Sheriff Clarence Dupnik in 2012, had already filed his paperwork to run for sheriff in the Republican primary.
Nanos placed Staten on unpaid leave May 20, saying that County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry advised him that Statenβs campaigning violated county policy.
In a memo to Nanos, Huckelberry wrote that Statenβs candidacy would have an adverse effect on the operation of the department, as he would likely campaign against the βpolicy and management directionβ of the current sheriff.
Last Friday, Staten filed a complaint against Nanos with internal affairs, requesting he be reinstated and asking for a public apology from Nanos.
βWith the very public statements made by Chris Nanos, he knowingly and negligently publicly convicted me of an act for which I had no knowledge or involvement,β Staten said.
On Wednesday, the Pima County Deputy Sheriffβs Association announced its endorsement of Staten, according to a news release.
In a special vote, 90 percent of its members chose to endorse Staten over Nanos and Napier, said association President Kevin Kubitskey.
The deputiesβ association is comprised of about 300 members.
This is the first endorsement of a sheriffβs candidate by the association in eight years, Kubitskey said.
Staten will face Napier in the Aug. 30 primary.
Nanos, who was appointed by the county Board of Supervisors in July 2015 to complete the term of Dupnik, will face the winner in the Nov. 8 general election.
