The Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association is backing President Trump in its first presidential endorsement.
“President Trump has repeatedly sided with law and order,” said Jason Ard, the president of the Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association . “The men and women who choose to serve and protect across our great country know we have a proven leader in Donald J. Trump.”
Association members voted to endorse Trump’s campaign following their annual conference. The organization has endorsed gubernatorial candidates, including Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, but never a president. The bipartisan organization represents 14,000 sheriff’s deputies in Louisiana.
Several police unions have also endorsed Trump for the 2020 election. The largest police union in Florida, the Florida Police Benevolent Association, announced its support for the president in July. The FPBA’s endorsement received unanimous support from leaders within the organization.
The New York City Police Benevolent Association announced its endorsement of the president at Trump’s New Jersey golf club in August. Its president, Pat Lynch, said he could not “remember when we’ve ever endorsed for the office of the president of the United States until now — that’s how important this is.”
The Trump campaign has positioned the president as the “law and order” candidate. As unrest spread throughout the U.S. this summer, Trump brought in the National Guard to quell riots in Washington, D.C., and encouraged governors to follow his lead and “dominate” protests.
In response to rising murder rates, the Justice Department launched Operation Legend, which is “a sustained, systematic and coordinated law enforcement initiative across all federal law enforcement agencies working in conjunction with state and local law enforcement officials to fight the sudden surge of violent crime.” The program has led to nearly 1,500 arrests.
