Donate today to help Birmingham stay informed.
Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway secured a third term Tuesday night, defeating Republican nominee Jacob Reach and earning congratulations from local leaders.
A crowd of more than 80 friends, family and supporters gathered at the City Club in downtown Birmingham to celebrate the victories of Pettway and U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell at a joint watch party. Supporters glanced expectantly at a monitor near the podium as election updates rolled in, but any worries they had were quickly dispelled; it was a strong evening for Democratic candidates in Jefferson County.
Shortly after Sewell claimed victory in her race, Pettway, who by that time held a comfortable lead over his opponent, humbly declined to claim victory until all votes were in.
“We worked hard, and we know that we’ve done a great job,” Pettway said. “We’re gonna wait ‘til it is called. We’re not gonna be premature.”
But shortly after midnight, the verdict was in. Pettway received 161,436 votes, 66.07%, to Reach’s 82,919, 33.93%, according to unofficial results from Jefferson County.
Pettway spoke only of the work he plans to continue, saying, “to work with all the business founders, make the community safer, continue to work with communities to build trust, work with our youth to make sure that they have opportunities, and we want to make sure that we provide more raises for our deputies.”
Earlier in the evening, challenger Reach acknowledged that his bid to unseat Pettway would fall short. But he wasn’t too upset about the apparent outcome.
“I was retired and blessed before I ran and I’m still blessed,” he said. “I didn’t run for power or position. I ran to benefit the deputies and the citizens of Jefferson County.”
With the focus on midterm congressional races, local contests can easily get lost in the broader election buzz, but officials stressed that these local positions are no less important.
“I know we’ve all been paying attention to national races, but the local races matter just as much, and it’s been a great turnout,” said Danny Carr, district attorney for Jefferson County.
“We want to make sure that people want to come here for business, that people want to live here,” Pettway reflected. “So, it is very important to make sure that we got public safety.”
Henry Irby III, public information officer for the sheriff, showed up to support Pettway, whom he said he had known for years. “He not only takes care of the citizens of Jefferson County, he also takes care of the people who live here from the agency itself,” Irby said.
Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson, who was uncontested on Tuesday’s ballot, attended the event to express approval of Pettway’s win and the work he has done.
“I would say the morale with the sheriff’s department was very low when Sheriff Pettway took the sheriff’s department over, and the crime was very high. And now — if you look at it now — morale is high, and the crime is down. So what else can you ask a sheriff to do?” Tyson said.
Pettway made history in 2018 when he defeated former Sheriff Mike Hale, who was vying for a sixth term, to become Jefferson County’s first Black sheriff. Pettway was reelected in 2022 and in this year’s Democratic primary, Hale endorsed Pettway.
As sheriff, Pettway has championed youth programs such as the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s Law Enforcement Athletic Program and Books Not Bullets, the literacy program developed with the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham that he has said he believes helps to keep young people out of the “pipeline to prison.”
Sewell spoke to the effectiveness of Pettway’s focus on community engagement.
“We finally are seeing a decrease in the percentage of murders that are happening in Jefferson County and in Birmingham,” she said, “and that’s due to the hard work and the partnerships that the sheriff’s been able to make with communities in Jefferson County.”
In other county races, Assistant Tax Assessor Charles R. Winston, who is over the Bessemer Division of the office, won reelection with 66.14% of the vote against Republican challenger Delor Baumann, who took 33.8% of the vote.
This story is part of a BirminghamWatch-Birmingham Times collaboration. Solomon Crenshaw Jr. contributed to this report.