Sacramento Sheriff Scott Jones performed worse in his primary than any Republican candidate ever has against Dr. Ami Bera, yet national Republicans think he’s their best bet in Sacramento, adding him to their “Young Guns” program today. Dr. Bera holds a 5:1 cash-on-hand advantage over Jones.
Sheriff Scott Jones’ lack of judgment has defined his struggling campaign. He continues to face criticism over his “good old boy” management that led to a jury finding that the Sheriff’s department retaliated against four veteran female sheriffs who spoke out about preferential treatment under Jones’ watch, leaving taxpayers with the multi-million dollar settlement bill. Jones is also under fire for mismanaging his department’s budget, which Jones said would cause cutbacks to jails and detective units.
Jones also faces scrutiny over the high cost of his campaign promise to issue a concealed-carry gun permit to anyone who wants one. There were 350 concealed-carry permits in Sacramento when he took office, and now there are 8,000. Political statement aside, the process is costing taxpayers to the tune of $239,000 just this year.
“National Republicans are so desperate to win in Sacramento that they’re backing Scott Jones, despite his historically poor primary performance, weak fundraising, consistent lack of judgment, and mismanagement of taxpayer money,” said Barb Solish of the DCCC.