Candidates for Lee County Sheriff race submit qualification papers
Two candidates have submitted their qualification papers for the race for Lee County Sheriff.
Sheriff Jay Jones
Marine Corps veteran, law enforcement official Cam Hunt
Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones announced his candidacy for reelection on October 29, 2025. Jones filed for qualification papers during the first week of January 2026.
Image: Lee County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Jones has been the sheriff of the county since 1998, and is currently serving his seventh term. Sheriff Jones first began his law-enforcement career with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in 1975 while a student at Auburn University. Since then he has served as a Corrections Officer/Communications Operator, a sworn Deputy Sheriff, among other positions.
“I have led the Sheriff’s Office during this period of growth and change by setting standards of professionalism in recruiting, hiring and training staff that are among the best in Alabama,” Sheriff Jones said in the October press release. “I have worked to make sure the Sheriff’s Office has stayed current with changes in technology and provided our deputies with the best equipment available. I have made education and training a priority. Our deputies consistently receive more training hours than the state requires.”
Image: Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones
As sheriff, Jones has worked closely with city leaders in Auburn and Opelika to convert the Lee County jail into a countywide detention center. Under his leadership, the facility established partnerships with federal agencies including the U.S. Marshals Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the U.S. Army to house federal detainees. The detention center is now one of only a few in Alabama with mental health professionals on staff, who assess detainees and coordinate treatment with outside providers when needed, according to the release.
School safety has also been a major focus of his tenure. During his first term, he created the county’s School Resource Officer program, which has since expanded to place SROs in every Lee County school. Those deputies, he says, rank among the best in the state.
Sheriff Jones says he is committed to maintaining the standards of professionalism within the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and plan to work for and with all the people of Lee County for another 4 years.
Image: Cam Hunt’s campaign
Also qualifying for the election is a former Lee County deputy and Marine Corps veteran. Cam Hunt, who first served his country as a Marine Corps officer, and then as a law enforcement official in Lee County, qualified for the election on January 9, 2026. Hunt announced his candidacy October 21, 2025.
After earning a Political Science degree from Auburn University, Hunt served as a field artillery officer in the Marines, reaching the rank of Captain. After returning home, he joined the Opelika Police Department, working in patrol, traffic homicide investigations, SWAT, and earning FBI certifications.
Image: Cam Hunt’s campaign
In 2023, he moved to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, where he was a patrol deputy until ‘being terminated after deciding to run for Sheriff’, Hunt said. Hunt’s campaign is built on the core values of Justice, Liberty, and Accountability.
Hunt said his platform is to emphasize fair and consistent enforcement of the law, protection of individual liberties, and strong accountability at every level of the Sheriff’s Office. Hunt said “it is clear that public trust in law enforcement is earned through leadership that serves the community, not politics.”
“As Sheriff, my focus will always be on protecting our communities while upholding the rights and freedoms we are sworn to defend,” Hunt said.
To cast your vote for Lee County Sheriff, head to the polls on May 19, 2026, during the Republican Primary.
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