Tarrant Sheriff Dee Anderson is in new territory.
"I have never been in a runoff before," said Anderson.
Anderson is running for his fifth and final term. His opponent is former Dalworthington Gardens Police Chief Bill Waybourn, and neither man received more than 50-percent of the vote in the March 1 primary – Anderson got 48.9 percent while Waybourn got 40.67 percent.
Now, the campaigning continues until the runoff election May 24, and that likely means there will be a smaller turnout than Super Tuesday.
"My supporters are energized and ready to go for another one more election. We will try to turn everybody out," Anderson said.
Waybourn has said he thinks Anderson is not accessible, an isolationist. The sheriff disagrees, saying the office has done well under his leadership.
"I think everyone has to look at integrity. I have a record of success," said Anderson.
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Anderson has the support of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, along with the Tarrant County district attorney, among others, while Waybourn's support includes former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, along with many police associations.
"We are still looking at it as our daily job to go out and campaign back and forth, across the county," said Waybourn.
Waybourn said his campaign is trying to get the voters back out, and identify new voters who didn't cast a ballot in the primary. They are also going after John Garris's voters. Garris was the third candidate in the race, and though he dropped out before the primary he still received more than 10 percent of the vote.
"John Garris has endorsed us, so that helps us. He is helping us martial those voters," said Waybourn.
Asked why the people who have trusted Anderson for many years should trust him, Waybourn said, "I am a relationship builder."
These men differ on policy and plans, but one issue they agree on is the importance of voter turnout in the runoff.
