Former L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva Registers For 2026 Sheriff’s Election

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva registered his 2026 campaign to run for Sheriff over the weekend, all but confirming that he is running yet again next year.

Details are currently scant on possible reelections. What is known is that Villanueva has registered a campaign committee for the November 2026 election with Secretary of State Shirley Weber. And, according to a Facebook post, he is expected to announce something this Tuesday.

“Stay tuned for some exciting news! We will be live Tuesday July 22nd at 7:15pm,” posted Villanueva.

In addition, Villanueva added that he would “have something available this week.”

With a run all but certain, Villanueva would enter the race as a previous one-term incumbent facing off current Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. While Villanueva hasn’t been in law enforcement since he left office, he will likely bank on his decades worth of experience, Luna’s mixed poll numbers, and the popularity of DA Nathan Hochman to run.

Villanueva first became a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy in 1986 after a stint in the U.S. Air Force. He swiftly became a know name following his push to ban smoking from L.A. County jails in 1988 and his rapid rise through the Department. In 2018 he ran for Sheriff against incumbent Jim McDonnell, accusing him of failing to clean up the Department. He wound up winning 53% to 47%, becoming the first Democrat to win the office in over 130 years.

As Sheriff, Villanueva had a rocky tenure. While he was a Democrat, his tenure brought on more of a conservative bend. The deputy gangs scandal, his poor handing of the 2020 Kobe Bryant helicopter crash that led to leaked photos of bodies, and his stance on not enforcing the COVID-19 vaccination mandate on his staff brought heat. However, it was his tougher on crime policies following the George Floyd incident and subsequent calls for reform that caused him to falter in the 2022 election. He ended up losing to former Long Beach PD Chief Luna, who previously changed his party affiliation from GOP to Democrat, by a whopping 61% to 39%.

Villanueva v. Luna Round 2?

Once out Villanueva tried his hand at other offices, most notably losing the 2024 L.A. County Board of Supervisors District 4 race to Janice Hahn. However, conservative leanings refocused during this time as well. With Hochman being elected as D.A. in 2024 and removing George Gascon, whom he often butted heads with, it cleared the way for County voters being ready to accept candidates one step closer to the right. Earlier this year, Villanueva joined the Republican Party after 44 years as a Democrat, with many applauding him as a result.

“As of today, I’m leaving the party of paid protests, purple hair, and pronouns. And I’m joining the party of faith, family, and freedom — the Republican Party,” said Villanueva in March. “Today I announced ending 44 years as a registered Dem and joining the GOP. Time to make California purple again!”

“I left the California Democratic Party when I saw it no longer stood for the values I was raised with: personal responsibility, public safety, and freedom,” added California Republican Party Chairwoman Corrin Rankin. “Alex Villanueva made the same call. It takes courage, but it’s the right move. Welcome to our movement to restore common sense!”

Now a Republican, and with the public wanting more tough-on-crime lawmakers, Villanueva is now gearing up for his third Sheriff run in a row. He will be facing the already announced Luna, who currently has a mixed reception in the County. While polls place him as being more popular than Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and the L.A. City Council, he is also seen as more unfavorable than Hochman and others who largely share Villanueva’s views on crime. It’s that newfound gap Villanueva likely hoped to reel in voters from, as well as voters dissatisfied with Luna’s tenure bringing in a staffing crisis at the LACSD and turning back on promises to be more transparent.

Villanueva is expected to give a formal announcement on his election plans later this week. Should he run, the election will have a curious battle of a Democrat turned Republican facing a Republican turned Democrat.