Ernesteayo Lee

Ernesteayo Lee

Republican Party

Candidate, Orleans Parish Sheriff

Elections and appointments

Next election

October 11, 2025

Education

High school

O. Perry Walker High School

Personal

Birthplace

New Orleans, La.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Security Officer

Contact

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Ernesteayo Lee (Republican Party) is running for election for Orleans Parish Sheriff in Louisiana. He is on the ballot in the primary on October 11, 2025.^[source]

Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2025

See also: City elections in New Orleans, Louisiana (2025)

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

The primary will occur on October 11, 2025. The general election will occur on November 15, 2025. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Orleans Parish Sheriff

The following candidates are running in the primary for Orleans Parish Sheriff on October 11, 2025.

		Candidate
		Susan Hutson (D)
	Submit photo	Robert Murray (D)
	Submit photo	Julian Parker (D)
	Submit photo	Edwin Shorty Jr. (D)
	Submit photo	Michelle Woodfork (D)
		Ernesteayo Lee (R)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ernesteayo Lee completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Lee's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in New Orleans. I attended O. Perry Walker and graduated in 1999. I am a proud father of 4 boys and 1 girl.

For over 12 years, I was a sheriff's deputy working in different departments such as JPSO, OPSO and SJSO. Through these years, I worked in the field and in corrections. Having learned the nuances of law enforcement, I am aware of how to improve it.

I am a proud native of New Orleans and want to bring it to the standard I know it can meet.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I aim to work with the community in fostering safety and trust. It's imperative to me that the people trust and agree with my leadership and measures to protect the city.
• Accountability and transparency are central goals of mine. I will procure a police force that holds itself to a high standard, and this entails truthfulness with the people. I will embrace communication with the public and maintain complete openness.
• I will enter the Sheriff's Office with experience, which will inform my decisions and performance. I know what areas need improvement and how to implement them. The specifics of what needs to be prioritized is known to be. This is thanks to my hands-on experience in the field and incarceration facilities. My experience will make my leadership informed and constructive.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Funding, budgeting and cooperation with other governmental offices are areas I am passionate about. I will strive to make appropriate and proper allocations of funds. Taxpayers want to rest assured their dollars are being used right, and I will strive to make sure they can. Also, communication with other positions such as the city council is crucial to me as it's a part of transparency.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Transparency and accountability. An elected official must be honest and open with the people they serve. The public must feel they can rely on the officeholder; if they don't, the wrong person is in office. An elected official also has to hold themself accountable when necessary. When they make a mistake, when the people aren't satisfied, they must hold themselves to a standard and admit when they don't meet it.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would be honored to be the sheriff that brought New Orleans to the standard I know it can reach. I want to be remembered as the sheriff that improved the problems we have: jail staffing, gun violence, infrastructure condition. This is the legacy I would like to leave.

What is an accomplishment that you are proud of?

An accomplishment I am proud of is my children. I raised them to the brilliant young men and women they are, and I am proud of them every day. Fatherhood shaped me into the man I am today. It taught me patience, care and responsibility, things I will bring with me to my position in the Sheriff's Office.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2025 Elections

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