A four-year deputy with a marketing background is challenging his boss, Matt Carr, for sheriff.
He said the pair hold the same views on what’s shaping up to be the most contested campaign issue: the department’s policy working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
They won’t square off until the general, though Carr is also expected to face a write-in challenge in the Democratic primary. A group called JH Action plans to unveil that challenger Wednesday followed by a meet-and-greet on June 14 on the town square.
Snow’s filing came on the same day that police officer Alberto Rojas withdrew his name from primarying Carr. The sheriff told reporters and county commissioners that he is considering offering Rojas a job because of his ability to speak Spanish, which could help him communicate with Jackson’s largely Latino immigrant community. Rojas also agreed with Carr on his immigration policies.
Until the general, deputy Eric Snow said he’s going to keep his campaign focused on “family values” and “principles.”
“With a sheriff, you don’t want a political activist,” Snow said. “The law is the law. There’s not a liberal version of state statutes.”
The work of messaging
As a Republican living in California, Snow said he learned how to keep his cool at dinner parties, a skill that could potentially help him communicate with Teton County’s diverse electorate.
He worked in media there, helping companies like IBM and the defense contractor Raytheon tell their stories. Communicating the work of a small county department is no different, he said.
“People in our community are really at this point demanding more communication from the sheriff position,” he said. “The sheriff’s office does great work, I think there’s just a little bit of a communication gap getting that message out.”
The 45-year-old Alta resident moved to Teton County in 2022 after what he describes as a “death by a thousand cuts” disillusionment with his former home, capped by what he saw as a poor response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A regular snowboarder at Grand Targhee Resort, Snow is raising three young boarders with his wife, whom he emphasized is an Australian immigrant working her way through the legal process.
The commute from Alta means Snow is often on the job on Teton Pass. This winter, Snow said he issued more trailer citations than any other deputy. (Carr didn’t refute that statistic, but said it could not be quickly confirmed.) Snow said he looks forward to enforcing a new state law requiring commercial drivers to pass English proficiency tests.
“If you have English proficiency issues and you can’t see the signs that say no trailers, that is a big issue,” Snow said.
As sheriff, Snow said he would have the ability to guide the focus of his deputies. His main priority would be going after drugs, both for drivers and in schools.
Teton County has a problem with meth and cocaine, not just weed, he said.
Alignment on immigration
Snow said he spoke with Carr after filing for office to let him know the contest wasn’t personal.
Carr said he was surprised he didn’t get a heads up.
“Most people usually give you that courtesy, but it didn’t happen,” Carr said. “It’s the way a democracy works.”
The colleagues agree on most policies, Snow said, including immigration enforcement.
Carr changed a policy in 2025 to hold undocumented people in jail for up to 48 hours to allow federal officials to remove them. Other sheriffs across Wyoming are signing 287(g) agreements that allow deputies to work as immigration enforcers.
Snow described honoring ICE detainers as “a good middle ground” that stops short of a formal partnership without flouting state law that bans “sanctuary” counties.
Rojas has not responded to requests for comment since he decided to drop out of the race. He would have been Carr’s first primary challenger.
