Bolts previews 25 sheriff, prosecutor races that will shape ICE cooperation
A November 2026 guide to the sheriff and district attorney contests nationwide where immigration enforcement, policing and punishment are on the ballot.
What to know
- Bolts identifies 25 of roughly 2,400 sheriff and prosecutor races nationwide as the most consequential heading into November 2026.
- Immigration enforcement is a central issue: candidates in Washington, New York and North Carolina are campaigning against ICE collaboration and alleged racial profiling.
- Los Angeles faces two pivotal law-enforcement contests: a Villanueva-Luna sheriff rematch and a Roy-McKinney race for City Attorney following scandals and misconduct controversies.
- Fort Worth's district attorney race turns on how aggressively to prosecute voting-related cases, exemplified by Crystal Mason's imprisonment for mistakenly voting.
“That's why I ran to protect my community.”
Danny Tarkenton, Candidate for Spokane County chief prosecutor · Bolts ↗ · Sep 24
Danny Tarkenton Candidate for Spokane County chief prosecutorAlex Villanueva Former LA Sheriff, 2026 challenger
Robert Luna Incumbent Los Angeles County SheriffMarissa Roy Candidate for LA City AttorneyJohn McKinney Candidate for LA City AttorneyCrystal Mason Case example in Fort Worth DA race
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Fort Worth DA race splits over voting-crime prosecutions
In Fort Worth, where the district attorney's office has aggressively pursued voting cases such as that of Crystal Mason, sentenced to years in prison for mistakenly voting while on probation, candidates are signaling opposite approaches to future prosecutions.
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A prosecutor candidate in Washington says she decided to run after federal agents shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti; a sheriff candidate in New York says he wants to “kick ICE out.” All over, local candidates say immigration matters to their bids. https:// boltsmag.org/prosecutor-and-sh eriff-elections-in-november-2026-preview/
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Sheriff and DA races this fall revolve around heated issues such as police misconduct, ICE collaboration, and efforts to investigate elections. But which elections should you watch? We identify 25 races that are worth your attention: https:// boltsmag.org/prosecutor-and-sh eriff-elections-in-november-2026-preview/
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Alex Villanueva, the former Los Angeles County sheriff whose tenure was marred by abuse investigations, is mounting a comeback this year. It’s one of the key sheriff races to watch this fall. https:// boltsmag.org/prosecutor-and-sh eriff-elections-in-november-2026-preview/#los-angeles
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LA City Attorney race pits Roy against McKinney after Feldstein Soto's ouster — Incumbent Hydee Feldstein Soto, who faced backlash over trying to loosen LAPD restrictions on force against journalists, finished third in the June primary; the November runoff between left-leaning Marissa Roy and right-leaning John McKinney offers starkly different directions for the office.
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Villanueva seeks rematch against LA Sheriff Luna amid scandals — Alex Villanueva, ousted as LA Sheriff by Robert Luna in 2022, qualified for a November runoff after finishing second in the June primary with 22 percent; scandals including mounting jail deaths and unmet oversight subpoenas have persisted under Luna.
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Candidates campaign against ICE collaboration in several states — Danny Tarkenton is challenging a Republican incumbent prosecutor in Spokane County over opposition to sanctuary protections; a challenger to an upstate New York sheriff wants to 'kick ICE out'; and a North Carolina challenger accuses a sheriff's office of racial profiling.
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Bolts publishes preview of 25 sheriff and prosecutor races — Bolts identified 25 of the roughly 2,400 sheriff and prosecutor contests nationwide as the most consequential to watch in November, spanning immigration enforcement, police misconduct, prosecutorial punitiveness and voting-rights cases.