Even though it was Clayton County interim sheriff, Levon Allen who appeared on the Clayton County Sheriff’s Special Election Runoff ballot, a major force behind his victory was the beloved and controversial Sheriff Victor Hill. Recently convicted of federal charges stemming from the use of restraint chairs while sheriff, Victor Hill still garnered enough favor and respect from the citizens of Clayton County who made their voices heard twice in this special election, each time supporting the interim sheriff, Levon Allen, a Hill appointee. Hill made his intentions well-known early that his endorsement and political focus would be set on retaining Sheriff Allen as his successor. According to residents, they trust their former Sheriff Victor Hill and were confident in their decision to support his preferred candidate to keep Clayton safe.
The political gravity of this kind of victory is truly an anomaly given Hill’s recent federal conviction which many experts say will likely be overturned, the adverse media coverage, and being opposed by a former Clayton County Sheriff as well as current Clayton County Chairman, Jeff Turner, who both endorsed the loser Clarence Cox, chief investigator for the Fulton County Solicitor’s Office.
According to unofficial results, Allen received 50.88% of the vote while his opponent, Clarence Cox, had 49.12%. Roughly 182,000 voters turned out for the election and results will be officially certified next week.
Sheriff Allen has been working as interim Clayton sheriff since December 2022, when he was quietly sworn into office by Clayton Probate Court Judge Pam Ferguson. Prior to that, Allen had been the chief deputy of the sheriff’s office.
