Incumbent Muscogee County sheriff faces repeat challenger. See Columbus vote results here

Democratic incumbent Greg Countryman Sr. has been reelected as Muscogee County sheriff, beating Republican challenger Mark LaJoye by a margin of 26,135 votes in a rematch of their contest from four years ago, according to results from Muscogee County elections officials.

Following his victory Tuesday night, Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer it “feels good” to be reelected.

“It shows me that the citizens of Muscogee County, they have confidence in their sheriff for them to feel comfortable enough to renew my contract for the next four years,” Countryman said.

Countryman said he wants to focus on getting a new jail constructed in his second term as sheriff.

“There are some major issues that we have with our county jail that I’ve been trying to deal with for the past two years,” Countryman said.

Countryman said he wants the sheriff’s office to work better with other law enforcement agencies.

“My job for the next four years is to make sure that we have a coordinated effort with the Columbus Police Department, GBI and the other federal agencies to keep fighting crime,” Countryman said.

“I want to make sure that as sheriff that I can keep pursuing and fighting for a better quality of life for every citizen of Muscogee County, because we want to make Muscogee County one of the safest counties in Georgia,” Countryman said.

Countryman said the win is “God’s victory” and not his own, saying he’s “just the vessel.”

“I’m here to do the work of the Lord. This is a ministry to me,” Countryman said.

Countryman thanked his family, the citizens of Muscogee County and the people within the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office.

When asked for a statement about the race, Lajoye told the Ledger-Enquirer, “See you in 2028.”

“I’m a military man, retired military. Retired military never give up. Even when the chips are down, we never give up,” LaJoye said.

Reacting to Countryman declaring victory before the tallies from the 25 precincts were fully reported, Lajoye said, “He can make a victory speech all he wants to, but we’re not conceding to anything yet because we may be filing some challenges.”

Countryman previously worked for the Columbus Housing Authority police and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s office before becoming marshal in 2005 prior to being elected Muscogee County’s first African-American sheriff.

Countryman defeated Lajoye in the 2020 election, with Countryman receiving 50,812 votes to Lajoye’s 27,765.

Lajoye spent 40 years in the infantry, airborne and special operations forces after joining the Army at age 18. He also worked for the Columbus Police Department for 13 years.

Countryman has a doctorate of philosophy in Christian counseling from St. Thomas Christian University, a master’s of science theology from Ohio Christian University, a master’s in public administration from Columbus State University, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Troy University, and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Georgia Military College, the Ledger-Enquirer reported in 2020. Countryman is a graduate of the Georgia Command College.

Lajoye has a master’s of law degree from St. Louis University, and a bachelor’s and an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Troy University, the Ledger-Enquirer reported.

This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 9:27 PM.