2023–24 Caddo Parish sheriff election

2023–24 Caddo Parish sheriff election

← 2019 October 14, 2023 (first round) November 18, 2023 (runoff) March 23, 2024 (rerun) 2027 →

Candidate Henry Whitehorn John Nickelson Party Democratic Republican First round 15,890 34.50% 20,554 44.63% Runoff (voided) 21,624 50.001% 21,623 49.999% Runoff (rerun) 34,752 53.27% 30,487 46.73%   Candidate Eric Hatfield Hersy Jones, Jr. Party Republican Democratic First round 2,912 6.32% 2,473 5.37% Runoff (voided) Eliminated Eliminated

Primary precinct results Runoff precinct results (voided) Runoff precinct results (rerun) Whitehorn   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90% Nickelson   30–40%   40–50%   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%   80–90%   >90%   No votes

Sheriff before election Jay Long (acting)[a] Elected Sheriff Henry L. Whitehorn, Sr. Democratic

• John Nickelson (Republican), former Shreveport city councilman^[5]
• Henry Whitehorn (Democratic), former Shreveport
  Western District of Louisiana^[5][6]
• Eric Hatfield (Republican), Caddo Parish deputy constable^[5]
• Shayne Gibson (Republican), Greenwood police chief^[7]
• Hersy Jones, Jr. (Democratic), community organizer, lawyer, and minister^[8]
• Patricia Gilley (Democratic), Shreveport-area attorney^[6]

On June 1, 2023, six-term incumbent Republican Steve Prator announced plans to run for reelection.^[9] On June 13, Democrat Henry Whitehorn announced his candidacy.^[10] Prator then announced on June 30 that he would be retiring due to recently being diagnosed with a cardiovascular disease.^[11] Republican John Nickelson entered the race on July 16 at the urging of Prator, whose endorsement he immediately received.^[12]

Nickelson placed first, receiving 44.63% of the vote; however, as he did not receive a majority, he advanced to a runoff against Whitehorn, who came in second with 34.50% of the vote.^[3] Including Nickelson, Republican candidates in the primary received a combined 56% of the vote,^[2] though voter turnout was quite low, at only 30% of registered voters.^[13]

Nickelson criticized Whitehorn for his work in Adrian Perkins's administration as mayor of Shreveport; Whitehorn served as Shreveport's chief administrative officer from 2020 to 2022.^[2] Whitehorn argued that Nickelson's lack of relevant experience meant he would not understand the challenges law enforcement officers face.^[2]

The result of the runoff was extraordinarily close, with Whitehorn leading Nickelson by only one vote. Nickelson requested a recount, held on November 27.^[4] Only mail-in ballots were recounted. Caddo Parish Clerk of Court Mike Spence, responsible for the election, noted the unusual nature of the close race.^[15] The recount found three more votes for each candidate, leaving the overall result unchanged.^[16]

After his apparent loss, Nickelson called for a second runoff election, claiming that at least two people

On December 5, Bleich ruled in favor of Nickelson, ordering that a rerun election take place. The ruling noted that Nickelson had definitively proven eleven illegally-cast votes, exceeding the one-vote margin of victory.[22] Whitehorn appealed the ruling to the state's 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal, which upheld Bleich's ruling on December 12.^[23] Whitehorn's request to appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court was denied, ensuring a rerun election, to be held concurrently with the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries in the state on March 23, 2024.^[24] Both the Court of Appeals decision and the Supreme Court decision were decided along partisan lines, with Democrats in support of upholding Whitehorn's victory and Republicans in support of a rerun election.^[25]

As Whitehorn is Black, while Nickelson is White, many Democrats felt that Whitehorn's initial victory being overturned by the Court was reminiscent of

Organizations supporting Whitehorn's campaign, including Black Voters Matter, focused on increasing Black voter registration.^[27]

Whitehorn won the rerun election with 53.27% of the vote.^[28] His victory was clear on election night, with Nickelson conceding the race before midnight.^[25] Whitehorn's victory makes him the first Black sheriff of Caddo Parish.^[25]

Henry Whitehorn was sworn in as sheriff on July 1, 2024.^[1]

The defeat of Steve Prator's handpicked successor indicates a change in local politics, as Prator was one of Caddo Parish's most successful and prominent politicians. As Prator was strongly opposed to criminal justice reform, Nickelson's defeat indicates a potential shift in favor of more reform. According to political commentator Jeffrey D. Sadow, Nickelson's success in even making it to the runoff election should be attributed to Prator's support, as he otherwise was "not anybody's first choice or even tenth choice to run for sheriff".^[27]