Sacramento election results: Jim Cooper holds strong lead over Jim Barnes in race for sheriff
Elk Grove Assemblyman Jim Cooper was leading Undersheriff Jim Barnes Tuesday night in his bid to become Sacramento’s next sheriff and the first Black sheriff in county history.
Ballot totals released early Wednesday showed Cooper with 54.92% of the vote to 45.08% for Barnes, and by a margin of 9,900 votes.
Cooper said Tuesday night that he felt positive about the results, but wanted to wait until more totals came in before declaring victory.
“I do feel good,” Cooper said. “It’s been a long, hard race and it’s been nasty at times, but we had a plan and we followed our plan.”
Cooper, who spent 30 years in the sheriff’s office before leaving for an eight-year run in the California Assembly, was making his second bid to be elected sheriff. He lost a bruising 2010 campaign against Jones, and fashioned his campaign this year as a referendum as what he saw as 12 years of failed leadership by the incumbent.
Cooper also painted Barnes as an extension of Jones, saying the sheriff’s office needed new leadership and portraying Barnes as a disciple of former President Donald Trump.
He also emphasized the fact that he is a lifelong Democrat and Barnes is a Republican despite the fact that the sheriff’s race is a non-partisan election with no party preference listed on ballots.
He touted endorsements from political leaders ranging from Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert to former Sheriff Lou Blanas, and claimed to have the support of thousands of law enforcement officials statewide.
Cooper campaigned on a theme that his experience in the legislature would allow him to press for tougher laws on domestic violence and other crimes that have had their penalties diluted by voter-approved ballot measures such as Proposition 57. He also insisted his leadership style would favor discussion with opponents rather than confrontation, noting that Jones forced the ouster of Sacramento County Inspector General Rick Braziel simply because Braziel had authored a critical review of an officer-involved shooting.
Barnes, who had endorsements from Jones and former Sheriff John McGinness, ran as law enforcement’s choice for the job and emphasized that he would bring his own leadership to the post rather than follow in Jones’ footsteps.
He rejected Cooper’s claim that Barnes is simply “Scott Jones 2.0” and said Cooper’s absence from law enforcement for eight years made Cooper less likely to come up with new, innovative ways of reducing crime.
Barnes touted the fact that he won the endorsements of the two major law enforcement unions — the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the Law Enforcement Managers’ Association - and ran television ads featuring deputies expressing support for his candidacy.
Barnes said he wanted to work more closely with community groups to address homelessness, and said he favored studying methods to provide counseling and services to individuals to keep them from cycling in and out of custody.
He also noted the toll law enforcement jobs take on individuals, disclosing he had undergone counseling for stress from the job and made clear he would encourage deputies to seek help if they need it without worrying about it hampering their job status.
This story was originally published June 7, 2022 at 8:38 PM.