03/11/2026
First off I endorse Sheriff Sanders for Re-Election. In fact I did not vote for him the first time, didn't know who he was. Why am I supporting him now? Early on in the anti-police era, they limited police pursuits and if we remember in that time, crime was rampant, we had people driving crazy everywhere. As I am running my service calls I saw absolutely crazy things going on. I pay attention to local politics and when the Sheriff was going to try to see what he could do under the HB 1054 which restricted Police Pursuits. As the Sheriff is independent of influence of local politicians, he was able to do pursuits under that law to try to make our streets safer. I respect that. He has be outspoken on a lot of issue to help keep the citizens of Thurston County safe. Thank you for your hard work Sheriff Sander.
Earlier today, many of you read a letter that was sent out by three employees from TCSO. While the letter was titled as an endorsement for another candidate, the content of the letter focused on puzzling personal attacks toward the Sheriff. Despite the fact Sheriff Sanders routinely works alongside deputies, the letter refers to him as a “TV actor”.
The Chronicle reached out for comment, to which Sheriff Sanders stated, “I’m sorry that the three employees in our Captain Association feel that way about me, and I hope they know I don’t feel that way about them. If I did, I wouldn’t have worked tirelessly to get them 15-22% pay increases and industry leading retirement cash out benefits in recognition of their dedicated service to Thurston County residents.
Nonetheless, they reserve their right to endorse the candidate of their choosing, as they endorsed my opponent in 2022 as well,” Sanders’ wrote in an email statement to the Thurston Chronicle.
“In 2022, the voters of Thurston County didn’t elect me to maintain the trajectory of our sheriff’s office — they voted for me because we recognized it needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. Change is hard, especially in an institution like policing that historically clings to the past. I knew when I took over that meaningful changes to our culture would result in resistance, and I will not bow to pressure and revert back to archaic policing and communication methods.”
Sanders added, “The Captains are free to critique my communication style through social media, but I don’t work for them. I work for you.”
The Sanders for Sheriff team refuses to engage in baseless character attacks, and instead will continue to focus on how we can keep building upon the historic progress we have made over the last three years as we press forward into the future.
If you want to join a movement rooted in positivity, you can sign up to volunteer, donate, request a sign, and endorse at SandersForSheriff.org.
