Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel has left the Democratic Party after nearly two decades as an elected Democrat.

Federspiel has served as sheriff since 2009 and worked in law enforcement since 1987.

The sheriff endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for Senate and John James for governor before announcing his departure.

In a recent Fox News interview, Federspiel described himself as a lifelong Democrat and a “Kennedy Democrat” like his grandparents and parents.

“18 years of being sheriff as a Democrat. Been a lifelong Democrat…I’m a Kennedy Democrat that my grandparents were. They wanted me to leave, and I obliged,” he said.

Rogers has made clear he will not support Abdul El-Sayed.

WATCH:

Federspiel says the party has shifted too far left on public safety. He has criticized policies that favor early releases of prisoners over victims and community safety.

“We need to talk more about victims and keeping prisoners in prison,” he stated on air, voicing support for sentencing laws that require violent offenders to serve their full terms.

In his October 8 statement, Federspiel wrote that his top priority is “the safety of our citizens and justice for victims of crime.”

“As a law enforcement officer, my highest priority is the safety of our citizens and justice for victims of crime. I am deeply concerned by the prevailing push within the Democratic platform toward policies that seek to prematurely release violent offenders from prison,” Federspiel said, according to Michigan News Source.

He pointed to the 1997 kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of 18-year-old Karen King in Saginaw County.

King, a Michigan State University freshman, was abducted from a grocery store parking lot.

One of the killers was a juvenile at the time, and progressive juvenile sentencing changes have led to repeated court reviews for possible resentencing and release.

“A tragic, real-world example of this soft-on-crime approach is hitting close to home right now in Saginaw County. The case of 18-year-old Karen King, who was brutally kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in 1997, remains a painful scar on our region,” Federspiel said.

“Yet, due to systemic shifts in juvenile sentencing advocacy championed by progressives, her killers have been repeatedly granted court reviews and Miller hearings to evaluate them for potential resentencing and eventual release. Our justice system must prioritize victims and community safety over the comfort of convicted murderers.”

The Saginaw County Democratic Party has welcomed Federspiel’s departure and said it will run a “true Democrat” against him in 2028.

The post WATCH: Michigan Sheriff Who Served as a Democrat for 18 Years Leaves the Party and Issues Warning About Abdul El-Sayed’s Soft-on-Crime Policies appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.