FAIRHOPE — The candidates running in next year’s Baldwin County sheriff race spoke at a forum last week in Fairhope, hosted by the Eastern Shore Republican Women.

Sheriff Anthony Lowery is running in the Republican primary against current Baldwin County Commissioner Matt McKenzie. Both candidates spoke on a series of topics, including immigration, political violence and their vision for the future of the sheriff’s office.

Lowery, who has a family-owned pharmacy in Elberta, cited his years of experience, including his 20 years with the sheriff’s office and almost 30 years in law enforcement. His previous roles include serving as the state president for the FBI National Academy and as chief deputy in Baldwin for six years before Gov. Kay Ivey appointed him as sheriff when the position was vacated after Hoss Mack retired in 2024.

"I have done things that no person should have to do. Twice, I have kneeled on my knee and handed a flag to a widow of one of my deputies," Lowery said. "I would wish that upon no one. But those are all things that prepare you for this leadership position."

McKenzie, who was born in Fairhope and has served on county commission in District 2 since 2022, cited his experience as a Marine Corps veteran and retired Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) state trooper corporal, which includes 25 years of experience in law enforcement. McKenzie said he has been considering running for sheriff for some time now, saying he’s committed to keeping Baldwin County a safe community.

"I thought about waiting for the right moment, and this is the right moment," McKenzie said. "My motivation is straightforward. I want Baldwin County to stay among the safest places in Alabama, and as a husband, father and neighbor, I'm committed to ensuring that all families feel safe at home, our children are confident in their schools, and our communities continue to inspire."

On immigration, Lowery said he has been to the United States-Mexico border, saying people went “freely back and forth everyday,” smuggling in people and bringing back technology. He also said cartels are buying out stocks of technology from Best Buy and are acquiring drones from China and North Korea.

Though he said he will be hard on immigration, Lowery also said he is open to helping undocumented immigrants with no criminal or violent history a path to citizenship, citing his mother-in-law being an immigrant to the United States.

“We have to start with these violent cartel offenders,” Lowery said. “They’re only going to grow. They’re only going to change the way they do things, and I promise you one day, there’s going to be an event in the United States that is led by the cartel. They’ve got too many people in the United States right now. So to me, we need to focus on the day shift guys out there that are building houses, and let’s start getting some of the guys working the night shift.”

McKenzie made it clear he has a hard stance on immigration, saying he will assist President Donald Trump and his administration’s crackdown on immigration if elected sheriff.

"They're here illegally. They broke the law. It doesn't matter whatever status they are, we want to take every one of them and send them back," McKenzie said. "That is what Trump wants to do, and that's what we're going to do if I become sheriff."

On Sept. 8, the United States Supreme Court allowed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and officers to stop people based on race, language, job or location as the Trump administration targets Los Angeles during its immigration crackdowns.

“My job as a sheriff for this county is to ensure the constitutional rights of the people that live here in this county, and I don’t believe in stopping somebody because they’re Black, I don’t believe in stopping them because they’re white, and I dadgum sure don’t believe in stopping because they’re brown,” Lowery said. “We need to make sure we’re doing things by law, by the Constitution of the State of Alabama, and I promise you that’s what the men and women of the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office are doing.”

The primary election will be held on May 26, 2026, and the general election will be on Nov. 3, 2026.