A recent Rasmussen Reports poll of possible matchups in the Republican primary next year shows Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio would attract 47 percent of the vote.
Treasurer Dean Martin, whose campaign pitch in the past has traded on his familiar name, would come in at 22 percent if he decides to run. Incumbent Gov. Jan Brewer came in third at 10 percent of the vote.

Tucson lawyer John Munger and Paradise Valley Mayor Vernon Parker each garnered 6 percent of the vote.It also shows Arpaio leads Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry Goddard by a dozen points. Arpaio could not be reached for comment, but his Twitter updates indicate he’s paying attention.

“I cannot ignore the results of this latest Rasmussen poll about the possibility of me entering the AZ Governor’s race for 2010,” he wrote on Monday.
Two minutes later came this musing: “If ever there was a time to consider a run, now may be the time. I cont. to be asked by my supporters to step up and fill a leadership void.”
While Arpaio is playing coy about his plans, recent fundraising efforts that extend well beyond the Valley of the Sun may be a tipoff.

Some Tucsonans recently received a four-page fundraising letter, asking for help given that he’s been attacked, picketed and even beheaded in effigy because of his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws.

“Whether you live in Maricopa County or not,” he wrote, “please understand that my efforts to stop the flow of illegal immigrants in this county affect your community as well,” he wrote.