The O.K. Corral Shootout’s Tie to a Corrupt Election and How Dems Never Change

Writer Pamela Nowak tried to pretend that the historical political situation in Arizona in the late 1800s has nothing to do with the modern-day situation, but I completely disagree. Nowak did admit that, in the area of Tombstone in my own hometown of Tucson circa 1880, “Most of the surrounding ranchers were southerners, former Confederates, and Democrats.” Democrats, of course, originally launched the Confederacy after they lost a presidential election to Republican Abraham Lincoln. 

The Arizona territory technically sided with the Confederates in the Civil War, although there were towns that went Union, which is probably how Phoenix, instead of Tucson, later ended up as the capital. The Confederates/Democrats in Arizona did not want to take the risk of losing the Pima County sheriff’s election in 1880, and that’s the background behind the famous shootout in 1881. 

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From True West Magazine:

In the political election for Sheriff of Pima County in 1880, Republican Bob Paul was running against the Democrat, Charlie Shibell for sheriff of Pima County. Paul had a good reputation as a tough lawman while Shibell was more of an administrator. Shibell was reluctant to challenge the outlaws. They were a ruthless force to anyone who opposed them, and he feared for his life, but also, the Southern-bred Cow-boys voted Democrat and Shibell needed those votes to remain in office.

Wyatt Earp, a Republican, remained Shibell’s deputy but supported fellow Republican, Bob Paul.  Shibell won the Pima County by a few votes but voter fraud was discovered in the San Simon District in the extreme eastern part of the county.

Investigation identified the ringleaders of the fraud as Ike Clanton and Johnny Ringo, who had finagled positions as election officials despite their crimes. True West Magazine says the above-mentioned district was so small at that time there were only 50 eligible voters, but somehow Shibell had 123 votes and Paul only one. Sound familiar to anyone who lived through the 2020 election or the 2022 election in Arizona?

Wyatt became involved in investigating the fraud and on November 9th, 1880 he resigned as Shibell’s deputy and Johnny Behan was appointed as his replacement.  On April 12th, 1881, the court declared Bob Paul Sheriff of Pima County.  By that time, Cochise County had already been created out of the eastern part of Pima County and Behan had been appointed sheriff by Governor John C. Fremont.

The rivalry between Behan’s Cowboy pals and the Earps eventually led to the showdown at the O.K. Corral, of which you can see a very historically inaccurate depiction below, although the real-life conflict did not end there. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday eventually had to seek protection from the Republican governor of Colorado so some outlaw or lynch mob wouldn’t take revenge into their own hands.

Now fast forward to the present. For at least the last six years, Arizona has been infamous for highly contested elections and sloppily covered-up evidence of Democrat election fraud. In that way, Arizona has not changed, although the cartels have replaced the Cowboys and Arizona Republicans are no longer quite so daring with guns as the Earps were. Through all the changes which Arizona has undergone, Democrat election fraud has remained an issue. In Pima County now, just as in 1880, Republicans have stories of suspicious activity at the polls, disinvited Republican poll watchers, and illegal ballot trafficking. The Trump administration was investigating Arizona earlier this year over allegations of fraud.

Hopefully, both patriots within Arizona and the Trump administration are prepared to keep a very close eye on Arizona elections this year so our modern-day Behans and Shibells do not steal their way to victory.