Susan Bitter Smith, Republican primary candidate in the 5th Congressional District, is playing up her tough stance on issues of illegal immigration and crime with two new endorsements from law enforcement unions and a just-released ad featuring Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

On Wednesday, the Bitter Smith campaign unveiled the backing of the National Border Patrol Council Local 2544, which represents U.S. border agents, and the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), which counts 2,500 memebers of the Phoenix Police Department among its membership. 

"Our endorsement of Susan Bitter Smith for the U.S. House from District 5 is prompted by her care for our communities and her commitment to the front-line police officers who
protect them," said Mark Spencer, president of PLEA.

Although PLEA's membership is not regarded as being cohesive when it comes to putting endorsements into ground-level action, and most border agents reside outside the 5th district, both endorsements help support the image Susan Bitter Smith has been trying to craft as the toughest candidate in the field on illegal immigration.

Adding to that is the new cable ad put out today by the campaign that features Sheriff Arpaio, whose efforts against illegal immigrants have been called heroic by some and criminal by others, but who enjoys enormous popularity among the district's conservative base.

"Susan Bitter Smith is conservative - very conservative," Arpaio says in the spot. "Her no-nonsense plan to secure our border is exactly what we need to protect our people and our homeland."