SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — The early voting results shows Jim Cooper leading the Sacramento County Sheriffs race by more than 13 percentage points.
“It’s a good start. I’m happy, but like I said – it’s a long night to go still,” Cooper said.
Meanwhile down in Elk Grove, Sacramento County Undersheriff Jim Barnes holds hope that as Election Day votes come in, he can pull ahead. He said that while the office of the sheriff is nonpartisan, Jim Cooper is a Democratic assemblymember.
“Years past, it usually shows early votes would side with the Democrat. But I tell you, where we are, that spread, I’m excited about it, knowing that there’s still a lot more votes to come in,” Barnes said.
Barnes, 49, is Sacramento County’s current Undersheriff – second-in-command at the Sheriff’s Office, where he has risen through the ranks over the course of his 24-year career there.
Cooper, 58, is a California Assemblymember representing District 9, which encompasses parts of Elk Grove, South Sacramento, Galt and Lodi. He has served in that role for the past eight years. Prior to that, he spent 15 years on the Elk Grove City Council, including as the city’s first-ever mayor. During that time and before it, Cooper also spent 30 years working for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, rising through the ranks and becoming a captain.
Both men say they’re grateful to those who voted for them.
“I said from day 1, I’m going to be who I am and that’s what’s going to get us across the finish goal line – or it’s not. And our job was to present our case to the people – kind of like a jury trial – and at the end, it’s up to them, and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve effectively executed our plan exactly how it is, and at the end of the day, I’m going to be at peace no matter what the results come back,” Barnes said.
Cooper also thanked his supporters for their confidence in his campaign.
“Thank you for having the faith and confidence, and I’m not going to let you down. And just very grateful, very humble to be in this position," he said. "It’s a tough job. It’s not an easy job. Legislature, it’s very busy, but as far as—it’s a different job going from Legislature back to law enforcement. I’m excited about it at the same time. So it’s new. There’s a lot of things going on right now, and I’ve lived in Sacramento County my whole life and I want to make sure it’s a safe place to live.”
If the lead holds, Cooper said his priorities as sheriff would be on homelessness and working with the Board of Supervisors, local city councils, and other agencies to resolve the issue.
Election Results
For updates on the Sacramento County Sheriff's race, view the tracker below.
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