McCurtain County sheriff captured in bombshell recording loses seat in GOP primary

The southeast Oklahoma sheriff who was at the center of a national controversy about race and policing in rural America will soon be out of office.

McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy placed third among three Republicans vying for the county’s top law enforcement job. His two challengers appeared headed to a runoff, according to Tuesday’s primary election results, which are not yet certified.

Clardy did not immediately return a message to speak about his primary defeat. He received 18% of the 2,185 votes cast.

The sheriff came under fire in April 2023 after a recording published by the local newspaper captured him talking about harming journalists and joking about a death investigation. A county commissioner talked about lynching Black people during the same conversation.

McCurtain County is one of the most diverse counties in Oklahoma, with large Black and Indigenous populations. The recording led to scrutiny of the county’s justice system and claims that it had treated people of color unfairly for generations. It also galvanized many local residents to begin attempting to transform their county government.

“We couldn’t be happier with the results, but there’s a lot more to do,” said Lonnie Watson, who helps lead the McCurtain County Movement, a community group formed after the recording came to light.

Watson said he was surprised by Clardy’s landslide defeat but believed voters were frustrated by the sheriff’s refusal to acknowledge or make amends for his role in the recorded conversation, which drew headlines nationwide.

While County Commissioner Mark Jennings stepped down soon after the audio was made public, Clardy ignored calls to do the same. Gov. Kevin Stitt joined scores of local residents in pressuring him to resign. The sheriff’s office questioned the authenticity of the audio, which was recorded and released by the McCurtain Gazette.

The Oklahoma attorney general’s office investigated Clardy for possible abuses of office. But after a two-month probe, investigators said they had found no crimes to prosecute or grounds to remove Clardy from office. Attorney General Gentner Drummond urged voters to weigh in at the ballot box.

In response to the election results, Drummond commended voters for ”choosing a different path” and said he looked forward to working with the Clardy’s successor.

“The voters of McCurtain County stated clearly that they reject the leadership of a man whose statements were clearly hateful and racist,” Drummond said in a statement.

Clardy’s opponents were two men with past law enforcement experience: Bruce Shirey, who captured 49% of the vote, and Jason Ricketts, who got 32%. Whoever wins the August runoff will face Democrat Steve McKee in the November general election.

Tuesday’s vote came after months of activism by the McCurtain County Movement and other local residents. The group held voter registration drives and took other steps to raise awareness about the importance of attending government meetings and showing up at the ballot box.

Watson said he was disappointed by the poor voter turnout Tuesday — less than a quarter of registered Republicans voted in the sheriff’s primary race. He said his group will continue to stress the importance of voting ahead of the runoff and general elections later this year.

“I want people to understand that even when a few people come together to make changes, like we all did, those changes can be made,” said Watson, who is also a teacher in Idabel, the county seat.

State records show the county gained about 400 voters this year, nearly all of them Republicans. The total number of registered voters in McCurtain County stood at 17,000 in May, just more than half of the county’s total population.

No matter who eventually takes over as sheriff next year, it will be a time of healing for McCurtain County citizens and law enforcement officers, Watson said.

“We’re gonna let these deputies know that we are still on their side,” he said. “A couple of bad apples don’t spoil the tree.”

The increased attention on the county has come as it tries to rebrand as a outdoor oasis for Dallas-area residents. Vacation homes in Hochatown, a newly incorporated town in the county, routinely sell for more than $1 million. The county also brought in hundreds of tourists for the April eclipse because it was located in the path of totality.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma sheriff at the center of national controversy loses primary