Gage Skidmore/CC BY 2.0

Joe Arpaio in 2011.

Former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio slipped well behind in his comeback bid on Thursday. 

Arpaio is locked in a three-way primary for the GOP nomination in the race for his old office.

For nearly 48 hours after Tuesday’s election, Arpaio trailed his former chief deputy, Jerry Sheridan, by just several hundred votes.

But after the latest update of ballots counted on Thursday evening, Sheridan jumped ahead by nearly 4,100 votes.

The growing gap makes it less likely Arpaio can climb his way back. Election officials only have 28,000 ballots left to count.

Whoever emerges from the primary will face the incumbent sheriff, Democrat Paul Penzone, in November.