Charmaine McGuffey defeated her old boss, Jim Neil, to earn another term as Hamilton County Sheriff. Both candidates in November’s race have served in the role. Neil was first elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 but lost to McGuffey in the 2020 Democratic primary. She went on to win in November of that year.
Neil mounted a challenge this election cycle as a Republican but lost as McGuffey got 56% of the vote.
“We’re not going to go back to a time where citizens weren’t really clear if they were going to be treated fairly if they came in contact with the justice system,” McGuffey told WCPO in October before the election.
Ohio’s third-largest county by a majority vote appears to have given McGuffey a mandate.
“I’m working and I’m working for everybody in Hamilton County,” McGuffey said.
The sheriff told WCPO that in her second term, as in her first, she promises to enhance public safety holistically. McGuffey said she wants to focus on mental health and continue her recruitment push.