Hennepin County voters have given Sheriff Dawanna Witt a second term, handing her a decisive victory over challenger Joseph Banks in a rematch of their 2022 contest. Witt pulled in 67% of the vote, according to unofficial tallies, defeating Banks by more than 30 points and extending her hold on one of Minnesota's highest-profile law enforcement posts.
The win, reported by CBS Minnesota, caps a campaign in which Witt leaned on her tenure and Banks pressed for an overhaul of the sheriff's office. Witt first took office in January 2023, according to Eden Prairie Local News, and will now serve a second four-year term atop an agency that, per the same outlet, operates the county jail and handles court security, investigations, warrant processing, water patrol and search-and-rescue duties across Hennepin County.
Witt's path to the sheriff's office began long before her first election. She started as a detention deputy at the Hennepin County Jail in 2000, the local news site reports, building a law enforcement career that now spans more than 25 years. Before her first run for sheriff, she also worked as a social worker, according to MPR News, which reported her reelection Wednesday.
A Rematch That Wasn't Close
This is the second time Witt has beaten Banks for the job. In 2022, Witt defeated him with 63.96% of the vote to his 35.40%, as of 10:38 p.m. on election night with 99.5% of precincts reporting, according to FOX 9. CBS Minnesota has characterized that 2022 margin as roughly 30 points, a gap that held firm in this year's rematch.
The office itself is nonpartisan, and affiliations do not appear on the ballot in this year's race, per the same reporting from Eden Prairie Local News.
Jail Oversight and Budget Fights Took Center Stage
At a Sept. 16 candidate forum in Golden Valley, Witt pointed to her experience and cited statewide and local crime declines, while Banks argued the office's budget, staffing and jail oversight needed a serious overhaul, according to The Northeaster's coverage of the event. Banks countered that the budget had swelled to almost three times its 2022 size.
Witt also cited Bureau of Criminal Apprehension data at that forum showing crime declining both in Hennepin County and statewide, framing it as evidence her approach was working. Her campaign has separately said more than 100 deputies have been hired during her tenure and pointed to expanded jail rehabilitation, life-skills and reentry programming as signature accomplishments, per Eden Prairie Local News.
Immigration Enforcement Became a Flashpoint
Perhaps the most contentious thread of the campaign involved federal immigration enforcement. Coverage from CBS Minnesota described Witt as having taken fire from both sides — criticized by ICE on one hand and by protesters on the other — over how her office responded to the agency following Operation Metro Surge.
That tension sat alongside concerns about violent crime in the region, an issue that also figured in the election.
With the race now decided, Witt returns to a sheriff's office she has led since 2023, overseeing everything from the county jail to water patrol operations for another four years. Her public role has also included community-facing moments, such as a July 4 news conference, part of the broader public-safety messaging she has built throughout her time in office.
