By Javacia Harris Bowser and Shauna Stuart | The Birmingham Times
In a landslide victory on Tuesday, two-term incumbent Mark Pettway won the 2026 Democratic primary for the office of Jefferson County Sheriff.
According to unofficial results with 99 percent of the precincts reporting, Pettway secured 65,130 votes or 75 percent against challengers former Birmingham Police detective Chris Anderson and former Jefferson County Deputy Jude Washington.
Anderson finished second with 16,418 votes or 19 percent. Washington received 5,467 or 6 percent of the votes.
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. In a surprising move, Hale endorsed Pettway in the 2026 primary election.
In 2022, Pettway was elected to his second term after besting his Republican challenger, Jared Hudson.
In the November general election, Pettway will face GOP candidate Jacob “J.J.” Reach, a retired captain of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and current investigator with the Calera Police Department, who ran unopposed on Tuesday.
On the night of Tuesday’s primary election, Pettway’s supporters, friends and family gathered at City Club Birmingham for a watch party after polls closed at 7 p.m. The scene was jovial, as Pettway was projected as the winner as early as 8 p.m.
Just before 9 p.m., Pettway took the podium to uproarious applause.
“We’re so thankful for everything that you’ve done where you contributed,” Pettway said, expressing gratitude for those who joined his campaign, “knocked on the door, made a phone call, talked to someone, took someone to the poll today. That is so important.” He also thanked his “prayer partners” for their spiritual support.
Pettway attributed his projected victory to the decrease in crime in Jefferson County.
“Now we believe that we’re in this position here because crime is down significantly throughout all of Jefferson County,” he told the crowd. “We’re glad for the work that all the deputies and law enforcement across Jefferson County are doing. We are partnered with all of the municipalities from one end of Jefferson County to the other end of Jefferson County… Working together, we’re showing force, a real force out there in the community.”
Pettway spoke of several initiatives he’s spearheaded during his time in office, including efforts to help incarcerated residents find jobs before their release.
“We’re doing a lot of things to help those that are incarcerated because they’re going to return back to society and when they return back to society, we want to make sure they become productive citizens,” Pettway said. “So, they get an opportunity…while they’re incarcerated to learn trades, to get certificates for those trades they have learned, and we put them in positions to get hired… So when they leave out of jail, they’re leaving with hope, they’re leaving with opportunities and they’re leaving with a job.”
Pettway has long championed youth programs. In his speech, he touted the success of Books Not Bullets, the literacy program developed with the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham that he said he believes helps to keep young people out of the “pipeline to prison.”
Pettway also spoke about LEAP, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s Law Enforcement Athletic Program.
“Not only do they mentor our youth, they also take time to talk to them about conflict resolution,” Pettway shared. “They take away the barrier that’s between law enforcement and the youth.”
Retired deputy sheriff Ernest Watford, one of the organizers of LEAP, spoke about the initiative’s impact in a brief interview with the Birmingham Times.
“LEAP is not a program,” Watford said. “Programs start and end. This is a movement throughout all of Jefferson County, through all of the community, where we take and really spend quality time with our youth.”
Deputy sheriffs participate in practices and attend games, connecting with the youth and their parents, Watford explained.
This community engagement, Watford said, is Sheriff Pettway’s mission.
“It’s his ultimate goal to make sure every kid has an opportunity to have a platform,” Watford said. “Those things bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community. We’re all together collectively pulling for one common goal – that is to bridge that gap. And right now, we’re not bridging that gap; we’re closing it.”
Other Democratic Primary Results
In other Democratic primary races of note, political newcomer Alicia Escott Lumpkin won her race for State House District 60, defeating longtime incumbent Juandalynn Givan, who has held the seat for 16 years. Lumpkin, who campaigned with strong backing from Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, finished with 5,080 or 52% to Givan’s 3,261 or 33.15 percent. Nina Taylor came in at third place with 1,379 votes or 14%, according to unofficial results late Tuesday.
In a statement released after her victory was clear, Lumpkin thanked voters across the district for placing their trust in her campaign.
“We built this campaign by listening to residents, knocking doors, and having honest conversations about what our communities need to move forward,” Lumpkin stated. “I am deeply honored by the trust voters have placed in me, and I’m ready to get to work.”
Lumpkin’s platform centered on neighborhood revitalization, community investment, public safety, stronger schools, healthcare access, economic development, increasing opportunities for working families, and improving quality of life across District 60.
Rep. Kelvin Datcher has lost the House District 52 seat he currently holds. Late Tuesday, he was trailing the second-place finisher with 25 percent of the vote, setting up a runoff between Gigi Hayes (who had 49 percent of votes) and LaTanya Millhouse (who had just under 27 percent of votes) for the Democratic nomination to that seat.
Everett Wess and Dakarai Larriett will continue their bids for U.S. Senate in a runoff election set for June 16. Wess and Larriett received approximately 39 percent and 27 percent of the vote, respectively, according to unofficial results.
In the contest for the state’s highest political office, former Sen. Doug Jones easily secured the nomination for governor with 88 percent of votes and will face U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who handily won the GOP nomination to replace term-limited Republican incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey.
