A former candidate for Lewis County sheriff will take another shot at running for the office in 2026 after registering with the Washington state Public Disclosure Commission last month.
Sgt. Tracy Murphy, the leader of the Joint Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET) who has worked with the Centralia Police Department for 30 years, filed his candidacy with the state commission last month and confirmed his plans to run during an interview with The Chronicle on Tuesday, June 17.
This will be Murphy’s second time running for the spot after losing a closely watched race in 2022 to current Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza. Murphy, like Snaza, is a Republican.
Murphy, who was highly critical of Snaza’s handling of the department in 2022, said his reasons for running haven't changed.
When talking about his plans to officially file next May and run in 2026, Murphy said he learned a lot from the last race both personally and in regards to the political process. While those lessons may be helpful, Murphy also said he doesn't want to focus on his last race to be sheriff.
“One of the big things is I don't want to focus on last time and what happened. I want to focus on ‘where do we need to be to have a better tomorrow?’” Murphy said. “Making this a good place again. Bringing back confidence in law enforcement and the sheriff's office.”
When asked what his hopes are for the office and what he would change if elected, he said his first priority would be rebuilding relationships locally and regionally, adding that he believes the Lewis County Sheriff's Office will be better equipped and be able to do more with strong cooperation.
The sheriff’s office’s departure from JNET was among the issues Murphy was critical of in 2022.
“It really comes back to relationships. In order for any law enforcement agency to be successful in their mission, we have to be working together, and we have to be working with our local partners, our state partners and our federal partners,” Murphy said. “We can't just silo ourselves and think we can handle everything within … The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office doesn’t have all the tools.”
While Murphy said he doesn't plan to start campaigning until after the November 2025 general election, he said registering with the PDC was important so that he can be honest with those who ask him about his plans to run.
“I want to do things correct and I want to do things right, and the first step was filing with the PDC,” Murphy said. “I want to be able to tell people when they ask me.”
With a year until open filing for the position, Murphy is the first candidate to announce his plans to run.
In response to The Chronicle’s request for comment, Snaza stated that he has made no formal decision about running and has no further comments on the matter.
Snaza has been sheriff since 2015.
