Kentucky › Hardin County › Hardin County Sheriff
2 candidates are tracked for Hardin County Sheriff on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Willie Oden and John Ward. Candidate information follows official Hardin County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Willie Oden (Republican), John Ward (Democratic) are on the November 3, 2026 ballot for Hardin County Sheriff, per the Hardin County Clerk's official current local candidates report (hccoky.org, read September 8, 2026).
Willie Oden is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major who served as a heavy-wheeled vehicle mechanic and Military Police officer, per his campaign site. He has lived in Hardin County for 27 years and is an active member of the Elizabethtown Lions Club, per his campaign site, and won the May 19, 2026 Republican primary in Sheriff over Brian C. Sankey, per the county's official primary results.
2026 priorities (per the campaign site)
- Build stronger partnerships between law enforcement and the community
- Make the Sheriff's Office more transparent, accessible and responsive
- Support crime victims and start a Sheriff's Explorers youth mentorship program
Source: candidate campaign site.
Campaign site →
John Ward is the sitting Hardin County Sheriff, per the county's official elected-officials page. His Democratic candidacy for reelection in November 2026 is reported by secondary sources but was not independently confirmed against an official Hardin County candidate-filing document within this agent's search budget.
