Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sarah Stewart announced Monday that her candidacy for Supreme Court Chief Justice had been endorsed by a group of 30 Republican sheriffs and police chiefs. This follows last week's endorsement from 23 district attorneys across the state.
"I am honored to have the support of these conservative Alabama law enforcement leaders," Stewart said. "Our county sheriff deputies and municipal police officers are the frontlines of protecting our communities and our property. They are faced everyday with the challenges presented by illegal immigration, a growing drug trade, and a pandemic of lawlessness across our nation. I'm thankful for their support, and they certainly have always had mine."
In a statement, Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego discussed how Stewart has been "tough on crime" and believes in "Law and Order," saying these endorsements show that.
He added, "Justice Stewart has the confidence of law enforcement officers, and our community is behind her."
Stewart maintains a substantial financial edge over her opponent, Bryan Taylor.
Polling in this race has shown that neither candidate has close to 50% of the vote, and one recently released showed 80% were undecided. How Stewart decides to spend her cash could play a significant role in how this race ends up.
The list of endorsements shows a large cross-section of the state from top to bottom and includes: Sheriff John Samaniego, Shelby; Sheriff Billy Murray, St. Clair; Sheriff Kevin Turner, Madison; Sheriff Hoss Mack, Baldwin; Sheriff Paul Burch, Mobile; Sheriff Sam Cochran (Ret.), Mobile; Sheriff Ron Abernathy, Tuscaloosa; Sheriff Scott Byrd, Coffee; Sheriff Joe Hamilton, Lauderdale; Sheriff Jimmy Kilgore, Talladega; Sheriff Rocky Harnen, Jackson; Sheriff Richard Stringer, Washington; Sheriff Dewayne Smith, Clarke; Sheriff Matthew Wade, Calhoun; Sheriff Jordan Powell, Pickens; Sheriff Marty Gottwald, Lamar; Sheriff Bryan Yerby, Fayette; Sheriff Heath Jackson, Escambia; Sheriff Phil Sims, Marshall; Sheriff Mason Bynum, Dale; Sheriff Tony Helms, Geneva; Sheriff Eric Balentine, Colbert; Sheriff Jeff Shaver, Cherokee; Chief deputy Sheriff Josh Summerford, Cherokee; Sheriff Blake Turman, Covington; Sheriff Terry Mears, Crenshaw; Chief of police Ron Tyler, Florence; Chief of police Bill Partridge, Oxford; Chief of police Aaron Carpenter, Chatom; and former ALEA director now director of Public Safety Charles Ward, Ozark.
Stewart will face off against Taylor in the Republican Primary on March 5.
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