Fact Check: Did a Texas sheriff endorse Gavin Newsom and Jasmine Crockett for president, VP?

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha made headlines in July when he addressed rescue efforts following the deadly flash floods that devastated Texas, sweeping away 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors.

Recently, a claim has emerged online that Leitha endorsed Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom for president and Representative Jasmine Crockett for vice president.

Claim: Larry Leitha endorsed Gavin Newsom and Jasmine Crockett for president, VP

In September 2025, a claim spread online suggesting that Sheriff Larry Leitha endorsed Gavin Newsom for president and Rep Jasmine Crockett for vice president.

According to the claim, Leitha supposedly had a change of heart after a Mexican rescue team allegedly saved his family during the July flash floods, which killed at least 136 people, including many children. Three people remained missing.

On September 3, TikTok creator @nurturing.memorials posted a photo of Leitha with the text: “Texas Kerr County Sheriff, Larry Leitha has endorsed Gavin Newsom for president and Jasmine Crockett as his VP. He did a 180 after his family was saved from Texas floods by Mexican rescue team 🇺🇸🇺🇸."

Posts with similar claims quickly spread across social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Fact check: No credible evidence supports endorsement claims

The claims appear to be false. No credible evidence shows that Sheriff Larry Leitha endorsed Gavin Newsom for president or Jasmine Crockett for vice president.

Searches across Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google, and Yahoo found no reports from local or national media outlets on the matter. As fact-check site Snopes pointed out, if such an endorsement were true, it would have been reported at least locally.

The TikTok account @nurturing.memorials used the display name “Newsom/Crockett 2028 🇺🇸🇺🇸” and referenced trolling in its bio, which read, “Trolling the Trolls.... President Newsom will make America Great Again 🇺🇸."

Similar claim about Larry Leitha surfaced in July

In mid-July 2025, a similar rumor circulated online claiming that Larry Leitha had promised to help Mexican rescue workers who allegedly saved his family during the floods apply for US green cards as a step toward citizenship.

One X post read, “Maybe, just maybe, all is not lost… Kerr County Sheriff Leda—best known for targeting immigrants—just announced he’s applying for green cards for the Mexican rescue team that saved his family. The irony writes itself. Maybe the regime should take notes: immigrants save lives. Your cruelty doesn’t."

This claim was also debunked. No evidence exists that Leitha ever made such a statement. Neither the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office nor reputable news outlets reported on such an announcement.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.