DENVER (AP) — More than a dozen candidates campaigning to be sheriffs in counties across Colorado are running on a unique platform of not enforcing certain laws.
The Colorado Sun reports the candidates fit the profile of a loose movement sometimes referred to as “constitutional sheriffs” whose adherents promise to act as a bulwark against state laws they deem illegal.
Those include the “red flag” law that allows the temporary seizure of guns from people considered a threat.
Some candidates also reject the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and coronavirus precautions.
Experts say the rhetoric has emerged among local officials as political divisions have cleaved the country over the past decade.
