Republican incumbent Brian Kirkland and Democratic challenger David Southards will face off for Swain County Sheriff in the General Election, a race defined in part by how Kirkland came into the position.
In late July 2025, Kirkland was selected to replace disgraced former Sheriff Curtis Cochran, who’d racked up myriad criminal charges related to the alleged sexual assault of three women. Cochran’s case is ongoing in state and tribal court. Since his departure, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith and Graham County Sheriff Brad Hoxit have also left office amid a cloud of alleged misconduct.
Meanwhile, little is known about wandering officers in North Carolina — booted from one department as a disciplinary measure only to be hired by another agency — because termination or resignation don’t trigger decertification, the only publicly available law enforcement record. However, research has shown wandering officers are riskier hires, as previous violations raise the likelihood of future instances. With that in mind, The Smoky Mountain News first asked each candidate to outline their employment history.
