Sheriff, Forsyth County · North Carolina 2026 General Election

Ernie Leyba

Republican

Business owner; former law enforcement officer

View sources (3)

Proposes restoring the sheriff's narcotics and CSI divisions
Priorities
Campaign website · Leyba for Sheriff · leybaforsheriff.com
“Bring back the Narcotics Division … Bringing back the CSI Division”
Pledges more school resource officers at every school
Meet Ernie
Campaign website · Leyba for Sheriff · leybaforsheriff.com
“Upgrade the SRO (School Resource Officer) Programs within all schools and have more Officers for each school.”
Supports closer cooperation with city police, ICE and federal agencies
Meet Ernie
Campaign website · Leyba for Sheriff · leybaforsheriff.com
“Working on better RAPPORT with the City of Winston Salem Police Officers, ICE, and Federal Agencies”
Proposes cutting deputy and detention staff turnover
Priorities
Campaign website · Leyba for Sheriff · leybaforsheriff.com
“We need to focus on reducing high turnover rates of detention staff and personnel and refocus on recruiting and training.”
Pledges monthly town meetings with residents
Leyba For Sheriff – 2026
Campaign website · Leyba for Sheriff · leybaforsheriff.com
“We will hold monthly town meetings, where citizens have a chance to speak freely about their concerns.”

DemocraticIncumbent

Sheriff

In office = from the candidate's own official statements or legislation as an officeholder, not their campaign.

View sources (2)

Supports putting community safety ahead of party politics
Sheriff backs DA in Forsyth County. The problem? One is a Democrat, the other a Republican
News coverage · Winston-Salem Journal · Sep 25, 2026 · journalnow.com
“The safety of the community is more important than partisan politics, Kimbrough said.”
Supports better pay to recruit and keep officers
Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough: The North Carolina state budget steps up for those in uniform
Public statement · Winston-Salem Journal · Sep 5, 2026 · journalnow.com
“if compensation falls behind, we risk losing talented officers and making it harder to recruit the next class of public servants”