TROY – Rensselaer County Sheriff Patrick Russo stood behind President Donald Trump at a White House forum and shook hands with Vice President Mike Pence last year, standing out as the state’s lone sheriff to agree to work under a controversial federal immigration statute.

Russo officially announced his re-election bid for a second four-year term Wednesday with a low-key press release that barely touched upon his office’s participation in the the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 287(g) program. Russo is the only New York sheriff to decide to join the program to check whether jail inmates are in the country legally.

Russo’s decision drew fire from Democrats and progressives when he signed up. Russo has pointed out that his road patrol deputies are not involved and it’s only two corrections officers who are trained to follow the ICE guidelines and make the checks.

“Most importantly, I took an oath to support and uphold the Constitution of the United States, The Constitution of the State of New York and faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Sheriff to the best of my ability. This is what I have done and will continue to do,” said Russo, who views the program as another law enforcement tool.

In a Democratic-run state, Russo has been the exception for Republicans in gaining a small foothold at the national level with White House and Fox News television appearances to speak about his decision.

Democrats swept District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly into office as she defeated former District Attorney Joel E. Abelove, a Republican, in last year’s elections that also saw U.S. Rep. Anthony Delgado defeat Republican incumbent John Faso. But in the rural-suburban towns Republican Assemblyman Jake Ashby and state Senator Daphne Jordan were elected as voters stuck to their conservative leanings.

County Republican Chairman John Rustin said Russo reflects Republican strengths and support for immigration enforcement is strong among voters. “He’s the best man for the job,” Rustin said. “He’s got a lot of support.”

Russo ran unopposed in the general election in 2015. Democrats haven't found a candidate with a law enforcement background willing to run against Russo.

County Democratic Chairman Michael Monescalchi said the party thought Russo’s stance supporting 287(g) would have helped attract someone to run against him, but it didn’t. Monescalchi observed that unopposed races are common locally, citing Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Greene and Washington counties, where both Democratic and Republican sheriffs have lacked incumbents.

Losing more than four months of time to recruit a qualified candidate to run against a well-known incumbent has been a challenge,” Monescalchi said, referencing the change in the state's political calendar.

Other than the immigration stance, Russo has not had problems that would create issues for an opponent to use against an incumbent sheriff, said Troy Democratic Chairman Gary Galuski. “Pat’s a reasonable, respectable individual."