Mark Lamb (born July 14, 1972) is an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona, from January 1, 2017 until December 31, 2024. He is a member of the Republican Party. Lamb previously served in the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community police department.
Lamb was born in Hawaii and lived in many different places during his childhood. After graduating from Chandler High School in Arizona, he moved to Utah to start a paintball business – it later went into bankruptcy. He then worked in pest control. He began his career as a sheriff working for the police department of the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community for six years, before joining a county sheriff's office. In 2017, Lamb was elected sheriff of Pinal County in Arizona.
He ran unopposed for re-election as sheriff in 2020. He was a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024 looking to replace incumbent independent Kyrsten Sinema after Sinema declined to seek re-election. He was defeated in the primary by Kari Lake, finishing second.
Lamb stepped down from the sheriff's office on December 31, 2024. He was succeeded by Ross Teeple, who took office on January 1, 2025. In July 2026, Lamb won the Republican nomination to represent Arizona's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives after being accused of sexual misconduct.
Early life, education, and career Lamb spent much of his childhood in Hawaii and also lived in Arizona, Philippines, Panama, and Argentina. He graduated from Chandler High School in Arizona in 1990.
Lamb worked for the police department of the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community for six years. In 2012, he joined the Pinal County Sheriff's Office. Before he began his career in law enforcement, he worked in pest control. He moved back to Arizona in 2003, after his paintball business in Utah failed and he filed for bankruptcy.
Sheriff of Pinal County (2017–2024) In 2017, Lamb was elected to succeed Paul Babeu as Pinal County sheriff.
Prior to its cancellation in 2020, Lamb frequently appeared on the TV series Live PD. He also hosted Live PD: Wanted, a spinoff show. In 2019, he also featured in Season 5 of 60 Days In, in which seven volunteers went undercover in the Pinal County Jail for 60 days to collect insight into jail operations. Lamb frequently appears on Fox News and Newsmax TV.
In November 2019, Lamb called for increased security along the Mexico–United States border to combat drug cartels from harming U.S. national parks.
In May 2020, Lamb stated he would not enforce a stay-at-home order during the COVID-19 pandemic, on the basis that he believed it was unconstitutional. In June 2020, he tested positive for COVID-19 a week before his scheduled appearance at the White House for Donald Trump's signing of executive order 13925.
In July 2020, in response to the protests following the murder of George Floyd, Lamb announced his intention to form a civilian posse of non-felon volunteers with four hours of training in legal guidelines and basic police tactics. No protests occurred in Pinal County in summer 2020.
In 2018, Lamb established the American Sheriff Foundation, a charity. In August 2020, The Arizona Republic reported that the charity had raised more than $50,000 but left at least $18,000 unaccounted for and filed largely blank tax filings. In 2024, the nonprofit lost its status and was dissolved after Lamb admitted to failing to follow Arizona laws that required disclosure of his past bankruptcy and not filing required reports, which was revealed when Open Records Requests filed by American Oversight went unfulfilled.
Lamb ran unopposed for re-election in November 2020 after successfully suing to remove his competition from the ballot.
Lamb is a supporter of the Stop the Steal movement. Following the 2021 United States Capitol attack by supporters of Donald Trump, he spoke at a rally where he said the protest was not Trump's fault but rather caused by "the other issues that have happenedthe Hillary Clintons that have gone unpunished". He later described the people as "very loving, Christian people."
In February 2021, Lamb co-founded (with Republican strategist Nathan Sproul and others) Protect America Now, a coalition of 69 sheriffs with the stated purpose of "educating Americans about how our Sheriffs and the law enforcement community are standing for our Constitution and law and order". In May 2021, he launched the American Sheriff Network, a subscription service providing videos showing sheriffs and their deputies carrying out their duties.
Lamb is the author of American Sheriff: Traditional Values in a Modern World, which was self-published.
In December 2022, a spokesperson for Lamb said he was considering running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. In April 2023, Lamb announced he would run for the seat held by incumbent Democrat-turned Independent Kyrsten Sinema. In July 2024, he was defeated in the Republican primary by Kari Lake.
2026 Congressional run
In October 2025, after incumbent representative Andy Biggs chose not to seek re-election and to run for governor of Arizona, Lamb entered the Republican primary to succeed Biggs, running on a platform of traditional values, demanding a "national revival of faith, family, freedom" and guns and denouncing "America's moral decay". He received the endorsements of President Donald Trump and Turning Point USA. In July 2026, amid multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power that he denied, Lamb won the primary against self-funding businessman Daniel Keenan, with 58.5% of the vote to Keenan's 41.6%.
Multiple women accused Lamb of sending them explicit photos and sexually charged messages. Another woman said that he had threatened her with felony revenge porn charges if she posted about their relationship. The sexually charged messages are public records in Pinal County and were independently verified by the Arizona Republic and KTAR News 92.3 FM. Lamb did not deny any specific claims against him, but his campaign said that many claims were "baseless and harmful". The Pinal County Attorney's Office concluded a review of materials submitted to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors in 2020 and June 2026 with the finding of "no evidence that Lamb acted in a criminal manner".
Personal life Lamb's wife, Janel, is the author of a book titled The Sheriff's Wife, and frequently appears alongside him at public events.
On December 16, 2022, Lamb's son, Cooper, daughter-in-law, and infant granddaughter died in a traffic collision in Gilbert, Arizona.
Religion Lamb is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Electoral history
See also
2026 Arizona House of Representatives election
References
External links