So my husband is thinking of running for sheriff...southerners especially

And we've decided we need to seriously start researching this. I'm going to call some ppl I know locally in the party tomorrow. I think he's a good candidate locally--35yo, 8 years active duty as an MP, 4 years NG and 2 of those deployed as an MP, and 4 years with the "big city pd". And oh yeah, he's a Dem lol. Our current sheriff is also a Dem. Dems are not popular here but our sheriff has had his job about 12 years. He says he isn't running for re-election and he isn't big on doing anything law related that might piss ppl off so I think we could beat him in a primary easily. My question is, what do you want to know from someone running for sheriff? What do you think qualifies someone for running for sheriff? Do you think a college degree is necessary for running a sheriff's dept?

Thx in advance and I'd be happy to add if someone has a specific question.

I have never run for sheriff but I have run for local office twice.
First, you need to check with the party to see what the official qualifications are. As far as experience, your husband has more than enough. Just don't get mired in pettiness which can happen very easily in local politics. Do your research. Find out what the crime rate was b4/after the incumbent. Find out how bad the local drug scene is, if any. How efficient is the sheriff's office. Are there enough deputies? Are there any satellite offices? How effective is the sheriffs office working with the city/ other counties? There are allot of issues that need to be researched. The main thing is, does your husband have the "fire in the belly"? What can he offer the community?

Good luck.

Forgot to mention. I am in Alabama also.

These are good questions and we will be talking about them for awhile I'm sure lol. I'm checking on quals tomorrow but I think they are limited to co residence and age. We have several friends in the sd so we have a sounding board on how they think it's being run. He definitely has "fire in the belly" lol.

I've seen more otherwise smart candidates kill a campaign by trying to answer every petty accusation made by an opponent. If you are the front runner, only answer serious charges, and serious charges aren't the ones that upset you the most, they are the ones that upset someone else the most. Otherwise, you look petty getting into a bickering match, and sometimes you draw attention to the very accusation you're trying to squash. Hire someone to advise you if you can't do this.

A city council candidate recently killed his campaign (though he was already in second) by launching an email attack on the front runner. He started off "I knew I would have to face a lot of false accusations, but I never dreamed my opponents would stoop so low." blablabla. He took a minor accusation most people hadn't heard, attacked it with a bunch of insecure rhetoric that seemed even more petty than the first accusation, and he fell out of second place and missed the run-off. He even had more money than any of the other candidates, and a lot of business endorsements, and he came in third.

Stay above it, and people will see you as the candidate they are all taking shots at--the leader, in other words.

Get someone in law enforcement to endorse you. The bigger the better. Meet a lot of people, shake a lot of hands.

Here in Austin, anyway, voters seem less impressed by political endorsements than by law enforcement endorsements, when it comes to law enforcement offices. People tend to not think of sheriffs as politicians first, but as LE first. So they want to here why he's a good Wyatt Earp, more than a good Democrat or more than hearing his geo-political goals and views.

The one exception to the last statement are other Democrats. If you have a system of political clubs, schmooze with them early and often. Go to any club meeting, especially of clubs who endorse. Getting the local activists in the party on your side is easy if you schmooze, and it makes the whole primary a lot easier. The way to impress these Democratic clubs is by having the best geopolitical social Democrat credentials.

So, schmooze Democrats to prove you're a Democrat, schmooze law enforcement to troll for big endorsements, schmooze the public at every single event you can find--sleep when you get elected--and try to sound tough on crime while developing long-term goals on how to prevent crime and protect kids from becoming criminals. Community outreach, alternative punishments for low-risk juvenile offenders, anti-drug programs. Look like you have the big picture in mind even while you are busting criminal heads.

Of course, adjust that to the nuances of your community. Talk to other successful Democratic candidates to get a feel for that. Chances are you'll have to strike a more moderate position than you really want to, to get the middle voters.

Hope that helps, some. I never ran a campaign, but a friend of mine ran the Travis County sheriff's campaign last year, and he won, using basically that strategy. He shook a lot of hands, and tried hard to appear like a good old boy member of the neighborhood. It helps if you have an imposing presence, too--people like tough sheriffs. I was head of one of the larger political clubs in Austin for a few years, until recently, so I've watched a lot of local politics.

One more thing: Prepare your stomach. A campaign will bring out the most petty nonsense you'll ever see. You'll fight other Democrats who claim to be on your side more than you'll fight Republicans. You will have immediate factions within your own campaign, and better be prepared to bust them up immediately, and take firm control of the campaign--or hire someone who can do that. You have to stroke egos while keeping them in check and working for you, instead of for themselves. 99%^ of the people who get involved in campaigns do so because they want their way, and not yours. Just be prepared. It's why I finally gave up on my club and let someone else do it.

I think we're about half there by your reckoning lol. I'm a party officer, so we know them (and I'd probably run the campaign). Dh is in the big pd in the co, so we know a lot of them. He got injured about 4 months ago, had surgery 2 months ago, and has like 6 weeks left of physical therapy. In the meantime, he's been working in the jail. We have friends who would really hate this and be complete asses, but my hubby looks at it as cultivating contacts. He's going to talk to some of his trustees tomorrow, but I figure, politically the way he treats ppl is nothing but a bonus. (He grew up dirt poor in an abusive household and he commiserates well.) They may not be able to vote, but their families can. Treating them with respect has to help. We were talking today about who he knows, which is how this came up.

You've given me much to think about. Thx!

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The south isn't as monolithic fundie as neocons want to believe. It has a heavy Democratic base, for a few reasons. One, black voters, the most sophisticated voting block, sees through the lies of the Republican Party better than any other block, and there are large numbers of black voters in southern states. In some regions they are the majority.

There are also a lot more blue collar liberals/moderates than fundamentalists. The further the Republicans get from their lie about supporting the common folk, the more these new Republicans are going back to the Democrats. Fundies anger most southerners, too.

Southern Christians are finding out that their bellies are empty, their wallets too thin, and their debt too high, under Republicans. Bush counts on southerners to be stupid, to not see how bad he's screwing up. But they are beginning to see. All it takes is a good candidate to show them how much their taxes will go up to pay off Republican spending and debt, and they will turn.

Welcome to DU, and have no fear--people are not as stupid as Republicans wish they were.

Don't think I've ever had a deleted post on one of my threads before lol!

because southern Democrats were realizing the Democratic party was out of step with their ideals, or some such nonsense. He got evaporated before I could post my reply!

I live in one of the 3 most Rep cos in Bama, with a 12 yr Dem sheriff lol! Locally and state, we can win. It's nationally we have to work on. Think I'm glad I missed the post lol. :P

live in the South.

be to run for sheriff is to be over the age of 21. You don't even have to have law enforcement experience to run (of course, voters won't appreciate that, but you don't need to necessarily have any).
What part of Bama are you in? I spent summers in Huntsville and Grant with my father. I know a bit about Bama.
I would think that the fact that your hubby is former military would be most helpful in his bid.
Who is your hubby so I can put out word on other blogs to support him (you can PM me if you want). I know a lot of Clarkies from all over the South who would be most happy to help any Dem below the Mason-Dixon Line.

Our most fervent wish for 2008 is that Wes runs again!

We're in Dothan, Houston Co, the far most south eastern co in the state. We think his military history is probably his biggest selling point locally (heavily Rep). If he does decide to run, I'll be sure to pm you the particulars.

I'm originally from New Orleans, but maybe I can transfer some Louisiana experience up your way.

I think somebody with the right military credentials would do well, but he'll have to balance the black and white vote, which is the biggest tricking in running for anything down south.

Does he have any black buddies from the service who might take a week of vacation and come campaign for him? Just sending them out into the local community for a week paired with somebody local might help a lot of 1) your hubby is white and 2) dems have a chance of getting elected where you are which means there are a fair proportion of black voters.

Other than that bit of advice, plan on eating at a whole lot of church suppers. At least you won't have to cook.

If he hasn't been in the sheriff's office, that may be a plus. I'm sure there's one or two guys in the department who think they could do a better job, but strangely they don't always seem to do as well as you'd think.

I think most people just want a sheriff who's fair, tough and not going to waste too much money on prisoner care.

Up here, it's Meth, Meth and Meth. I don't know if you have that sort of scary, chronic drug problem in your neck of the woods. If I was running somebody for sheriff up here, it would be on a platform that would be 1) my opponnent hasn't done anything about meth and 2) mine will.

If there are any equal hot button issues, you're going to have to figure out what they are pretty quickly, and figure out if your comfortable running on them to win.

P.S.--Looking at my advice and my avatar, I should point out that I'm white. I just dig Monk immensely. I still think my suggestion is a solid one.

One of the cool things about my husband is that he isn't Southern lol. I am. He grew up in Ireland, married me, and stayed in the South. He has an entirely different view of race than most people we know, including me I will admit, because it was just not an issue where he grew up. I cannot begin to describe it, but he radiates it. People just know. When we were in the Army together (both MPs) I saw ppl talk to him that wouldn't have anything to do with the rest of us. He's injured and an in the jail now. He's made all kinds of cases, not even "working", because ppl figure they will have a better chance with him. He's of the opinion that if you treat ppl with respect, they will return in kind. It definitely works for him, and he doesn't try to take advantage of it. At the same time, he is not an ass kisser lol. Got too many of those lol.

I think most people just want a sheriff who's fair, tough and not going to waste too much money on prisoner care.

With the exception of the last, I think he'd be your man. That's probably the biggest campaign problem I see. He wants to spend more money, in the jail and on officer/support salary. He'd like to see salaries increased, and overtime paid. They don't currently pay any o/t. They pay "comp" time, which is crap. If you can't or won't pay enough for ppl to feed their kids, you end up with high turnover. In the long run, that costs more money. He'd also like to see more money spent in rehabilitation. He grew up dirt poor. He undertands how hard it is to get out of that cycle. Convincing ppl here to pay more in taxes will be a real challenge tho.

I really appreciate your input!

The sd here runs the co jail and deals with anything not traffic related outside of the various city jurisdictions. So anyone on shift answers all calls "in the county" plus serves warrants. The current sheriff doesn't let his officers handle an traffic accidents. :eyes: They have to call the state patrol. A lot of ppl are frustrated and annoyed with that.

1) Handling accidents

2) Pay for deputies (can't hurt to have every deputy an unofficial campaign aide).

3) Meth.

Now, stop and figure this out (hardest part of any campaign): How can you tell a total strange who's just come to the door, in one minute or less, why he should be sheriff.

BTW, I was going to come back and suggest I made a bad assumption: that your husband was white. I was going to suggest that my suggestion about how to work the racial divide would cut both ways (have white buddies come and help). But, since he's Irish, well, for god's sake woman, isn't everybody in the south to some extent Scots Irish?

Teach him not to drop his H's and to say y'all in a sufficienty syrupy way, and nobody should care that he's not from the south. It's the "but we didn't go to high school with him" that's a bit harder in most places. On the upside, you did, so you (and your family if they can help) are going to have to be the key to that local-office conundum.

Lots of luck. You may have said in another post, but where in Alabama are y'all?

It seems to be in the news all the time, and people are worried about it.

I grew up in rural north Alabama. I always want someone approachable and reasonable for sheriff. He has to have the law enforcement qualifications, and it sounds like your husband does. But there are also a lot of management skills involved. The sheriff's departments are always being asked to do a lot on a small budget. They have to know how to do the best job they can with what they have. I don't think a college degree is absolutely necessary, but good management skills are.

Any whiff of corruption or favoritism is a big problem for me.

Someone up thread pointed out that it is good to get law enforcement endorsements, and I agree. If others in law enforcement trust a candidate, then I am more likely to.

:) ..I just looked on an Alabama map to see if you lived very close to my brother & his family. They live on the opposite end of the state from you though, in a little town near Huntsville. Ratz..

If your husband seriously wants the job, he should go for it! Does he contact the mayor's office to get a copy of the job description and qualifications?

I'll bet anything they accept direct law enforcement experience in lieu of a degree..

He should go for it!! ;)

At 25% you are going to want to go after the black vote hard. If you can get it all, you are halfway there.

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/popInfo.php?locIndex=12003



49% of the women in your county are unmarried; Make sure your husband is "sexy" at all of the functions you go to. Even the church functions.

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/maritalInfo.php?locIndex=12003

Some of those trustees that your husband has a good rapport with may be willing to work for him on his campaign. They can probably get the message to places you couldn't otherwise.

about a black candidate. If you get into higher-black population areas (such as the Delta) things get trickier.

Again, lots of luck.

I'm a Franco-German Cajun, but also a terrible Eirieophile (blame my
English professors, the Green Linnet Records and the Guinness family). I have to think that any Irishman who 1) was inducted into the USA and 2)you would marry, likely lacks the horrifying bodily deformities and/or overt symptoms of demonic possession that would prevent him from charming the socks off of every woman voter in the country