Politics Elections Steven Seagal Considering Run for Arizona Governor The action star has close ties with controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio By Wade Rouse Wade Rouse Wade Rouse is a writer at PEOPLE. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 6, 2014 11:30AM EST Photo: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic His Honor Steven Seagal? The Under Siege actor, 61, has publicly stated that he “would remotely” consider a run for Arizona governor that could turn him from action star to political action committee star. “It was kind of a joke, but I suppose I would remotely consider it,” the mysterious martial arts expert told Phoenix news station ABC15. Seagal made the remarks while promoting his Reelz Channel reality series, Steven Seagal – Lawman: Maricopa County. On the series, Seagal teams up with controversial Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose policies and views regarding racial profiling have made him a flashpoint in immigration law. “I think it’s open borders,” Seagal responded, when asked to name the No. 1 problem facing Arizona. “I think that across these borders any kind of terrorism can come, and does come.” He also defended his costar, the self-proclaimed “America’s Toughest Sheriff,” telling ABC15, “Is Joe Arpaio a racist? No, he’s not. And I’m not going to say I don’t think he’s not, he’s not.” Seagal is a member of Arpaio’s “posse,” made up of 3,000 unpaid civilians, according to The Huffington Post. Seagal is the latest in a line of celebrities flirting with the possibility of political office. Clay Aiken recently announced that he was “actively considering” a run for Congress in North Carolina. As for actors who have been governors, the precedents were set in California, with Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.