Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank says foes want him out over trans views

A Washington state sheriff says a proposal that could ultimately remove him from office is being driven by political opponents angered by his outspoken views on transgender issues and other culture-war debates.

Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank is promising to fight a ballot proposal that would allow county leaders to appoint, rather than elect, future sheriffs, arguing the effort is less about government reform than silencing a sheriff who refuses to fall in line.

“They hate me,” Swank told local outlet KOMO News in an article published Tuesday, referring to what he said was a partisan push to oust him. “They want to get rid of the sheriff. They want to get rid of me so they can have complete control. The sheriff is the last thing standing between anarchy and the people.”

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KOMO News reported that Swank is “known for his controversial statements about immigration enforcement and transgender issues,” and that on Monday, the Pierce County Charter Review Commission voted to place a proposal on the November ballot that, if passed, would give the Pierce County executive authority to appoint the sheriff, rather than the sheriff being elected by the voters.

If approved, the Pierce County executive would appoint the sheriff, pending confirmation by the Pierce County Council.

KOMO News reported that if the ballot proposal is approved, the change would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Swank is not up for re-election until 2028.

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“I’ll have to be removed from office at the two-year mark of my four-year term,” Swank told KOMO News. “The establishment likes the status quo. They don’t want any pushback. They want to tell you what to do, and I’m saying I’m independently elected, and future sheriffs should be independently elected.”

The effort to change from an elected sheriff to an appointed sheriff was introduced by Commissioner Jake Hunter, who reportedly said, “This wouldn’t be a question if recent events hadn’t raised serious concerns about accountability and governance for this office.”

On June 8, Bethel School District, located in Pierce County, told Fox News Digital that they had removed testosterone vials from a Pride display at Graham-Kapowsin High School after administrators determined the vials had been added without authorization, including some vials that still contained a small amount of unknown liquid.

Prior to Bethel School District’s announcement that it had removed the vials, Swank wrote in a June 5 post on X that, “Pierce County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating this.”

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In a Monday post on X, Swank directly addressed biology and the transgender issue, writing, “‘Love is Love,’ they said. Now it’s biological men, cosplaying as women, beating and assaulting women in sports, shattering records, and reports of assaults in women’s jails. When feelings replaced biology, our daughters became the collateral damage.”

Swank continued, “The slope wasn’t slippery; it was a cliff. And the left’s suicidal empathy demands that we throw our wives and daughters off that cliff. Common sense check: separate categories by sex protect everyone. More this week. Should transgender women, men cosplaying as women, be allowed to compete in women’s sports?”

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Fox News Digital reached out to Swank, the Pierce County Charter Review Commission, and Hunter for comment but did not immediately receive responses.