With the final votes counted, Democrat Chris Nanos earned a narrow win for Pima County Sheriff over Republican Mark Napier.
The Pima County Department of Elections announced it had finished counting ballots for the 2020 election. In the county's final tally, Nanos beat Napier by only 3,431 votes, or 0.7%.
"My wife and I are extremely honored, humbled and excited to have been given this great opportunity," Nanos said in a statement to KGUN 9. "We are thankful for all the support we received and I look forward to getting back to working with the great men and women of the PCSD!"
Napier and Nanos have engaged in a back-and-forth campaign, with both candidates making strong cases for their vision to head the department.
Nanos was appointed as Pima County Sheriff following the 2015 retirement of Clarence Dupnik. Nanos ran for election in 2016, but Napier ran against him and won. This year, the two went at it again as Sheriff Napier campaigned for a second term and Nanos vied to get re-elected.
Both have faced turmoil while in control of PCSD.
In 2016, Nanos was in command when the FBI investigated the county's use of RICO funds. Earlier this year, a Merit commission found that Napier and his staff lied in hearings involving unprofessional behavior and insubordination.
On the issue of department operations, especially staffing, Napier says the department now has a strategic plan and is looking to hire more deputies with federal funding he’s received for the department.
Nanos said he wanted to foster more community trust and was ready to put more work into community engagement and police reform.
