Source: Lamar University Press

Zena Stephens was sworn in as Jefferson County sheriff, Jan. 2, becoming the first black female sheriff in the state of Texas and one of only two in the country. Stephens was elected in November, defeating Republican Ray Beck. Stephens won with 51.4 percent of the vote, narrowly defeating her opponent with 44.566 votes in a county that voted heavily for President Trump. During the primary, Stephens’ campaign headquarters was the target of a man who fired on her campaign headquarters and shouted racial slurs. Stephens was the first African American person to be elected sheriff in Jefferson County.