Write‑in push seeks to return long‑time Lee County sheriff after primary upset

UPDATE - follow-up to A bitter sheriff's primary, a write-in campaign and a county divided: A grassroots write‑in campaign is rallying to put longtime Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones back on the ballot for the Tuesday midterm election after he lost the May Republican primary by about 300 votes to former deputy Cameron Hunt.## Campaign Details The effort started with a phone call to resident Jack Carter, a former deputy and furniture maker. Carter said a woman with campaign signs directed him to post a sign reading “On Election Day write in Sheriff Jay Jones” on his black Ram pickup; signs soon appeared on yards, trucks and local businesses. A Facebook page for the campaign lists an encrypted Proton email that did not answer a CBS query.## Candidate Positions Jones told CBS he was not involved in the write‑in push and said the Alabama Republican Party warned him of removal from the party. He noted his office has transferred 450 detainees to ICE in the past two years but has no formal 287(g) agreement. He supports concealed‑carry permits and the Second Amendment. Hunt, who fired Jones after announcing his primary challenge, said he will sign a 287(g) agreement, backs open carry and plans to end the county’s contract with the Flock intelligence system.## Election Context Lee County has 190,118 residents. Jones has served 27 years, growing the sheriff’s budget to $25 million and staff from 80 in 1999 to 230 today. The 2026 midterms see about 1,400 sheriffs nationwide up for election; 62% of sheriff races were uncontested from 2022‑2024.## Context Sheriffs in Alabama set local public‑safety priorities, manage jails and influence immigration and gun‑policy decisions, making down‑ballot races like this especially impactful.