CINCINNATI — While voters are casting their ballot in the primary election this month, the general election in November already has candidates going head to head. The battle for who will be the next Hamilton County sheriff is heating up.

What You Need To Know

  • Hamilton County Sheriff's candidates are going uncontested in the primary and will likely be going head to head in the general election 

  • Current Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey is running as a Democrat likely against her old boss, former Sheriff Jim Neil 

  • Neil switched parties to Republican to run in the election and says he plans to hire more if he wins 

  • McGuffey is planning to continue improvements to the jail and add new technology for officers if she wins

For the last three years, Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey said she’s been busy trying to keep inmates from getting out. She said inmates were stuffing locks to get out and burning windows to bring drugs into the jail.

They’re all problems that she said she walked into when she first became sheriff back in 2021.

“When the locks were compromised under the prior administration, we couldn’t lock prisoners inside their cells,” said McGuffey. 

That’s why she said they shut down the fifth floor of the jail to renovate. She said she also plans to add more addiction programs and tech if she gets re-elected.

“My goal is that right now we have 15 officers that are drone certified and we are going to build that and we are going to use drones to make our community safe,” said McGuffey.

She’s been telling voters about her plans and her run for re-election as a Democrat.

No one is running against her in the primary election this month, but by November in the general election, she’ll likely have to oppose her old boss.

“He fired me. He fired me because I objected to officers who were not being held accountable for excessive use of force, harassment of women in uniform, and harassment of female inmates. When I was told to stand down, go with the flow, I refused to do that because it isn’t right,” said McGuffey.

Shortly after she was fired as a long-time jail major, she sued him, ran against him in the election, and in 2021, unseated former Sheriff Jim Neil. That lawsuit was eventually dropped after the county reached a settlement.

“My mission isn’t about her. My mission is about getting elected to serve the people,” said Neil. 

He’s already started his comeback campaign. He’s been going to restaurants and businesses explaining to voters why he switched parties, became a Republican and is trying to get his old job back.

“The former party took my endorsement and gave it to the current sheriff. So I took a year off and decided I still want to serve,” said Neil.

He was the sheriff for eight years until 2021. He says he’d been focusing on family since then, but has a plan should he win the election this time.

“I’m going to be out there recruiting, recruiting, recruiting, hiring, hiring and training and getting the office right size so we can bring the best service that we can,” said Neil. “We need to implement the programs that we have and bring them back because they were very successful, like veterans pods and the diaper bank.”

Whether that will be enough to get him votes to get Neil back in office or for McGuffey to keep her office will be up to you, the voter, come November.