Hank Stephenson of the Nogales International notes that Santa Cruz County officials like the idea of seceding from the rest of the state:

Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said he is ready to join the movement, called “Start our State.”

Estrada said his support is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, noting that the best way to express displeasure with the leadership coming out of what he calls “the Great State of Maricopa” is to replace the elected officials who support their right-wing ideals. But failing that, he is pledging his support to the movement.

“It’s like a relationship,” Estrada said. “If people can’t get along, they gotta have a separation. The honeymoon is over.”

He derided the Maricopa-led Republican leadership in the Legislature, saying it would be great if they ran the state with at least some thought for the southern and rural constituency.

“They’re completely out of touch,” Estrada said. “They care about nobody but themselves up there. They’re sweeping funds, they’re letting people die, they’re letting people take guns wherever… It’s like two worlds, they’re in one, we’re in another, and they really don’t care about the rest of the state.”