Ryan Mahan, shown with his son, has announced he is seeking to run on both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines against current Undersheriff Jeff Brown.
Ryan Mahan, shown with his son, has announced he is seeking to run on both the Republican and Democratic ballot lines against current Undersheriff Jeff Brown.
The president of the union that represents deputies in the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office changed his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican less than an hour before announcing his candidacyfor sheriff last week.
The maneuver by PBA President Ryan Mahan was condemned by Republican leaders as a disingenuous ploy to garner an edge with the Republican-leaning electorate in the Spa County.
“Anyone who changes their party enrollment with the intention of primary, that’s not a legitimate party change,” said county Republican Committee Chairman Joe Suhrada on Monday, who also serves as the county’s Republican board of elections commissioner.
The move was also criticized by the officially endorsed Republican candidate for sheriff, Jeff Brown, who currently serves as the No. 2 man in the department as the undersheriff to longtime Sheriff Michael Zurlo. Zurlo is stepping down this year after decades in law enforcement.
In a press release to announce his candidacy Thursday afternoon, Mahan indicated his plans to run a Republican primary against the party-backed Brown, as well as to also seek the Democratic endorsement. However, Republicans were quick to state that Mahan was a registered Democrat.
He had been up until Thursday afternoon when, according to a photograph of his timestamped registration form, he changed from a Democrat to a Republican 40 minutes before his candidacy press release made it to the Gazette.
In subsequent follow-up conversations, Mahan said the decisions to change parties, thus causing a Republican primary, and to still seek the Democratic line were made because he believes the positions shouldn’t be focused on one party over the other but upholding the law.
“The whole point of this is to show that this is a position that should be nonpartisan,” he said Monday. “I’m going to seek both, and I’m going to campaign on both sides, because that’s what I believe in. You know, we don’t get to choose what party makes the laws, we just have to enforce them.”
Over the last 25 years, Mahan has been a part of at least three different parties, according to information provided by the Saratoga County Board of Elections. When Mahan moved to Greene County in 2000, he had no party affiliation, but when he moved to Albany in 2002, he registered as a Republican. Following a move to Schenectady County in 2007, he went back to no party affiliation. In 2012, he registered with the Independence Party before changing to a Democrat in 2020.
County Democratic Election Commissioner Cassandra Bragamian confirmed Mahan’s change had been processed Monday.
Nevertheless, Suhrada said Mahan’s actions are party raiding — the practice of changing a party affiliation in order to gain favor with a certain party.
“He’s a flat out fraud,” he said. “By trying to do this, go this route, it’s a blatant party raid.”
Suhrada said the GOP had 100% backed Brown, a lifelong Republican who has served on the Republican Committee. He also said Brown had the support of the Conservative Party.
Brown declined to comment Monday after profusely questioning Mahan’s party affiliation in numerous communications to the Gazette on Friday.
“We do not plan to engage in this story,” his campaign said in an email Monday. “This is a County GOP issue and we are focused on the upcoming campaign.”
Suhrada said he may go through the process of removing Mahan from the party via court order.
Mahan said he wasn’t certain of what that process entailed but reiterated he has the right to switch parties.
“As you can see online, I have endorsed Republican candidates and have also been a registered Republican in the past,” he said. “As a police officer, I know where my allies are and that was another reason for me to switch. This attack by Chairman Suhrada is unheard of. This move would only cause more of a party divide.”
