2026 Election Results: For LA County Sheriff, Luna defends against 7 challengers

In the race for Los Angeles County Sheriff, incumbent Robert Luna was leading with 46.8%, according to early returns released Tuesday night, June 2.

Challenger and former sheriff, Alex Villanueva was in second with 23.5% and Eric Strong was in third with 10.5%.

Sheriff Luna is running for re-election to a second term for the top law enforcement officer in Los Angeles County. The winner will oversee 10,000 sheriff deputies that patrol 153 unincorporated communities and 42 of 88 cities that contract for law enforcement services.

• Also see: June 2 Primary Election Results

Luna, 60, squared off against seven challengers, including three from his own department, as well as the man he unseated, former Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The other challengers are: Andre White, 34, an LASD gang detective; Oscar Martinez, 45, who has worked in the LASD in custody, patrol, professional standards and public information; Mike Bornman, a retired LASD captain who spent 36 years with the department; Karla Carranza, 46, a 21-year veteran of the LASD and currently a sergeant; Brendan Corbett, 66, who worked for the department for 37 years in SWAT and K-9 and was an assistant sheriff before retiring; Eric Strong, worked for the Compton and Pasadena police departments before joining the Sheriff’s Department in 2000;

Issues discussed by the candidates ranged from an inability to hire and retain deputies, department morale and the poor conditions of the Men’s Central Jail.

Luna pointed out that crime went down during his first term, along with use-of-force episodes in the jails. A second term under him would bring continuity in leadership, he said, especially important as the county prepares to host the Olympics, the Paralympics, the Super Bowl and the World Cup.

Unless one candidate garners more than 50% of the votes to outright win the seat, the top two vote-getters will move on to the November general election ballot.