Beaufort Co. Sheriff forum canceled after candidate backs out, citing ‘obvious bias’
A forum meant to educate voters about the upcoming primary for Beaufort County Sheriff was canceled after candidate Doug Seifert withdrew, citing what he called the “obvious bias” of one of the event’s organizers.
Republican candidates Seifert and JoJo Woodward were slated to discuss their policies and visions for the sheriff’s office the evening of May 19 at Bluffton Elementary School. The event’s webpage asked registrants to include a question for the candidates and said the forum would have three moderators, including organizers Mike Covert and Heather Rath.
In a Sunday statement clarifying his decision to withdraw from the forum, Seifert included a screenshot of a 2022 Facebook post made by Covert to promote a candidate meet-and-greet in that year’s primary. The candidates highlighted in the 2022 post included Covert himself — who that year unsuccessfully ran for a second term on Beaufort County Council — and Woodward, who that year was challenging incumbent Sheriff P.J. Tanner for a second time.
“Evidenced by (the) post, it is clear that the organizer backed my opponent in his second unsuccessful bid to become Beaufort County Sheriff,” Seifert wrote on Sunday. “The Beaufort County residents deserve a fair and impartial forum for the candidates to be heard. I look forward to any and all forums or debates that are organized by the Beaufort County Republican Party.”
One since-deleted flier advertising the May 19 event said the forum was “not endorsed by or affiliated with” the Beaufort County Republican Party.
“I just don’t have enough time for any shenanigans,” Seifert told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Sunday. “I’m concentrating on my campaign, and that’s all I can do.”
In a Sunday statement of his own, Woodward said his team had no role in the forum’s cancellation.
“JoJo did not cancel. JoJo did not withdraw,” Woodward’s post reads. “He was ready to show up — because he always is.”
Who are the candidates?
Seifert is a 20-year veteran of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office who has been endorsed by current sheriff Tanner. Seifert resigned from his role of lieutenant to formally launch his campaign when the candidate filing period began in mid-March.
Woodward is a former sheriff’s office captain making his third bid for county sheriff after 35 years in policing. His campaign materials claim the department has a leadership problem; Woodward has promised to implement what he characterizes as much-needed changes at the agency, like raising deputies’ salaries and forming a dedicated traffic enforcement team.
Tanner, who led the sheriff’s office for nearly three decades, left the 2026 race open to newcomers when he announced in March he was not seeking reelection.
Alphonso Small Jr., who has over a decade of law enforcement experience and currently serves on the Beaufort County School Board, is the sole Democrat running for sheriff.
Depending on the winner of the June 9 Republican primary, Small will face off against either Seifert or Woodward in the Nov. 3 general election.
Seifert criticizes ‘doctored image’ of himself
Covert runs a podcast called “Beaufort County’s House of Cards” in which he frequently discusses local political issues and purported corruption within local government. Shortly after the announcement of the forum’s cancellation, he announced Woodward would appear on the podcast May 21.
“Trying to get Seifert campaign to call or text back to confirm a date for them as well,” Covert wrote.
In his statement, Seifert also took issue with a “doctored image” of himself on a since-deleted poster advertising the forum. The poster appeared to be generated by an artificial intelligence platform, similar to images used to promote Covert’s podcast.
“Quite frankly, I don’t even know who this guy is,” Seifert wrote in a May 7 post shortly after the forum was announced. “This was supposed to be an impartial candidate forum. Apparently someone involved with organizing the forum decided to doctor a photo of me to make me look older and use a more polished photo from over a decade ago of my opponent.”
This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 5:39 PM.
