Former Chicago Police Supt. LeRoy Martin announced Monday he was switching political parties and would run as a Republican candidate for Cook County sheriff.
Asked why he was running as a Republican, Martin said: “Because the Democrats never asked me. The Republican Party is the party of opportunity for African-Americans. For too long, the African-American community has felt that the Democrats have taken our support for granted.”
Some political experts questioned if Martin could mobilize blacks on his behalf, let alone whites.
“Blacks tend to vote along party lines; whites tend to vote along racial lines,” said University of Chicago political science professor Michael Dawson.
“Unless there is a reversal of trends, his chances are not great,” said Dawson, director of the university’s Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture.
One prominent African-American Democrat, Cook County Board President John Stroger, already has indicated that neither race nor his personal friendship with Martin would sway him.
“I obviously am going to be supporting the Democratic candidate. And LeRoy Martin is not the Democratic Party candidate,” said Stroger.
The current sheriff, Democrat Michael Sheahan, was rumored to have been considering a run against Stroger to head the Cook County Board. On Monday, Sheahan’s office all but quashed that possibility.
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Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for Sheahan, said the sheriff “expects to be running for Cook County sheriff at this time. He has not made an official declaration at this point, but that should be forthcoming.”
Martin stressed he was running on his credentials, including 37 years with the Chicago Police Department, where he earned a reputation as a tough beat cop on the city’s West Side and later as an outspoken police chief. He was severely criticized for advocating the dismissal of some civil rights for suspects.
Martin, 68, works for the state as chief of police for central management services. Appointed by Mayor Harold Washington to head the Chicago Police Department in 1987, he served under three mayors. After his 1992 retirement, he became the Chicago Housing Authority’s director of public safety.
Cook County Republican Chairman Herb Schumann said the Cook County Republican executive board will recommend Martin for endorsement by the county GOP Central Committee Tuesday.
Former Mrs. Illinois Carolyn Morris, who is president of the Arlington Heights-based Domestic Violence Protection Agency, also is seeking the Republican nomination for sheriff.