Interim Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown held onto an early lead and avoided a runoff in her primary race for the full-time position.
Brown finished with 60 percent of the vote, 64,905 ballots with Constable Roy Williams second at 34 percent.
Brown was named interim chief by the Dallas County Commissioners Court in December after longtime Sheriff Lupe Valdez resigned to run for governor.
“To whom much is given, much is required. So I feel like there’s a lot of work to do, things that I will have to get involved in,” Brown said in December 2017. “I’m looking forward to those challenges.”
The other Democratic candidate in the March primary, Williams, said last fall the commissioners court gave Brown an advantage.
“How many people should have the opportunity to pick their successor? At the end of the day, it should go to the voters,” Williams said.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Williams said he has an advantage of already being elected twice before to his Precinct 4 position serving a fifth of Dallas County. And Williams claims most sheriff’s deputies support him.
“It’s election season in eight weeks and I hope Chief Brown will be ready. I will be,” Williams said last fall.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the Commissioners Court leader, said in the fall he would prefer an interim appointee who is not a candidate for the permanent job, but he joined a unanimous vote for the replacement Valdez recommended.
On the Republican side, Chad Prda, a detective, is challenging Aaron Meek, a deputy, for the nomination.
Learn more about the candidates here, from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.
The Dallas County Sheriff supervises about 2,000 employees and 5,000 inmates at the Dallas County Jail.
The general election will be held Nov. 6.
