Democrat Danny Ceisler has unseated incumbent Bucks County Sheriff Fred Harran, according to unofficial election results.
Ceisler’s victory comes after a campaign where the challenger, an attorney and Pennsylvania Army National Guard member, was a vocal critic of Harran’s involvement of the sheriff’s office in a federal immigration enforcement program.
During the race, Republicans focused on Ceisler’s lack of law enforcement experience.
Ceisler derailed the Republican’s sheriff’s bid for a second term.
The race was among the most buzzed about the county during election season.
Harran, a Bristol Borough resident and former Bensalem Township public safety director, drew attention for entering his office into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program. The program authorizes select sheriff’s deputies to operate with federal authority in immigration enforcement, a duty not traditionally handled by deputies in Pennsylvania.
The program led to a lawsuit against Harran’s office and prompted protests.
Harran, who has butted heads with the Democratic-majority Bucks County Commissioners over various issues during his term, maintained that the office’s involvement in the immigration program was intended to grant deputies access to federal training and new databases, but the move raised concerns and anger among some residents and the two Democratic county commissioners.
Ceisler, a Bristol Borough resident, countered the Republican attacks on his experience by citing his background in public service. He is an attorney who prosecuted cases for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office while in law school and worked for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
Ceisler launched a brief run for Bucks County district attorney in 2021, but that campaign ended when he was called up to serve in a military domestic terrorism threat response group following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. He also served in the military’s COVID-19 response efforts.
The sheriff’s office is a row office that dates back hundreds of years. The office’s responsibilities include serving warrants, making arrests, transporting prisoners to and from the Court of Common Pleas, handling civil matters, overseeing sheriff’s sales, and generally maintaining peace.
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