No 2016 Senate run for controversial Larimer sheriff

Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith announced Friday he will not enter the 2016 race for the United States Senate.

Smith said in September he was considering whether to throw his hat into the ring to challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat. Smith, a Republican, said the absence of declared GOP “power players” coupled with increased conversation among party leaders had him weighing whether the time was right to take his political career to the next level.

"I firmly believe that our nation is in crisis," Smith posted in a Friday morning Facebook post. "As our influence around the world has decreased, it has left a vacuum that petty dictators and extremists have been all too eager to fill. The world today is more dangerous and unstable than it has been at any point in our lifetimes. At home, our struggling economy has left too many people without hope, and a culture of lawlessness has led to brazen attacks on our law enforcement community. Those who have looked to Washington to 'fix' our problems have come to realize that Washington itself is broken."

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"However, my focus right now must be here in Larimer County. Because of that, I have chosen not to enter the race for the Senate," he wrote.

One of Colorado’s most outspoken law enforcement leaders, Smith, 46, has led the charge against stricter gun-control legislation and ardently fought against the legalization of recreational marijuana. His personal Facebook page has more than 9,400 likes and has been one of his go-to outlets to weigh in on current events ranging from immigration to what he has deemed President Barack Obama’s “continued war on local police.”

The sheriff, now in his second four-year term, said he toyed with the idea of gunning for higher office in the past. His "kitchen table issues" would have been ensuring the U.S. had a seat at the international table, especially regarding conflict in the Middle East. Domestically, he said he would have pushed for economic reform.

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"...However, my gut and my heart tell me that I can best serve by doing what I’ve done for the last quarter of a century - pinning on my shield and strapping on my sidearm and continuing to protect and serve through the Office of Sheriff. It’s a job that’s provided great satisfaction to me through the years!"

Smith has been sheriff since 2011, with the department since 1991 and served more than 25 years in law enforcement in addition to earning his master’s degree in criminal justice.

He became a major in the department in 2003 and lives in Fort Collins with his wife, Anne. The couple has two sons.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news and law enforcement for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.