Charmaine McGuffey

Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey is running for reelection in 2024 in Hamilton County, Ohio. In 2020, her election made history and was the most closely watched race in the county. Not only was she the first woman elected sheriff in the history of the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, but she was also the first gay woman. Her pathway to victory was not easy; Charmaine had to first defeat the incumbent sheriff who had fired her in 2017 because she would not back down when incidents of excessive use of force and sexual harassment of female deputies and inmates went unaddressed by the sitting sheriff. She beat him in a landslide in the Democratic primary and then won the general election in November. Sheriff McGuffey is a reformer and effective leader committed to moving our justice system from one of hard incarceration to one that offers opportunities for rehabilitation. During her first three years in office, Sheriff McGuffey has transformed the office by enhancing technology, improving the infrastructure of the jail, establishing a wellness program for staff, and establishing a Community Affairs department. Sheriff McGuffey is committed to public safety and to ensuring accountability, transparency, and engagement with the community as the foundation of the work in the Sheriff’s Office.