Jeff Sandy is a Wood County native and has a long background in law enforcement, financial investigations and state government. He graduated from Marshall University with a business degree and spent 25 years as a special agent with the U.S. Treasury Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, where he worked on cases involving fraud, organized crime, narcotics and terrorism. He later worked in anti-terrorism training and financial investigations.
Sandy was elected Wood County sheriff in 2008 and later served as West Virginia’s Cabinet Secretary for Military Affairs and Public Safety, a position that included leadership of the state’s Department of Homeland Security. He retired from state government after serving under Gov. Jim Justice and received the Distinguished West Virginian Award in 2023. He is also a managing/founding partner at Perry Forensic, where his work has involved financial investigations.
In the May 2026 Republican primary, Sandy defeated Andrew Borkowski 831?792 and advanced to the general election against Democrat Daniel Miller.