If provisional ballots don’t affect current results in other, closer races, the Republican sheriff will be the only GOP member to survive a Democratic wave that swept through
Democrats kept all other seats they held in the county. They also picked up two House seats and one county commission seat, unless provisional ballots change any results. In this county, provisional ballots historically swing to Democrats.
But Sheriff Todd Garrison, the Republican incumbent who was appointed to the job 18 months ago by the commission, beat Democrat Ralph Misquez. The current numbers have Garrison with 19,333 votes, or 51.3 percent, to Misquez’s 18,335 votes, or 48.7 percent.
Misquez had the fewest number of votes of any Democrat running for a countywide race. Garrison said he noticed that he was the only local candidate to avoid the Democratic wave.
“There were people willing to cross party lines, and I’m surprised and amazed,” Garrison said. “I’m excited that it turned out this way.”
Misquez called early this morning to congratulate Garrison on his victory.
“I did call Todd and wished him the best,” Misquez said. “It was just one of those things. It’s always tough to run against the incumbent.”
Both candidates ran clean, positive races, and Garrison said they agreed to remain friends.
”He’s a good guy. He’s a very good guy,” Garrison said.
Misquez, who has twice run unsuccessfully for the office, said he’s done with politics.
“It’s hard on the family,” he said. “But our heads are still high, and we don’t regret a thing.”