Click here to see the real-time election results for the Florida primary.
Ric Bradshaw and Michael Gauger will face off in the November general election for Palm Beach County sheriff after winning Tuesday's primary.
Incumbent Ric Bradshaw is seeking a sixth term as Palm Beach County sheriff. He won Tuesday's Democratic primary, beating candidate Alex Freeman.
“This is the community’s way of saying thanks for what you do. We take care of them, we keep them safe and they’re saying thank you very much for this significant win," Bradshaw told WPTV's Shannon Cake. "I mean 21 points that’s pretty significant. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I’ve had the community’s back and now they’re saying we got your back.”
Republican Michael Gauger won the Republican primary, beating candidate Lauro Diaz. Gauger worked with Bradshaw for years at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office as chief deputy before retiring.
WATCH BELOW: Sheriff Ric Bradshaw's tells WPTV why he is qualified for another term
Bradshaw was first elected as Palm Beach County sheriff in 2004. He is Palm Beach County's longest-serving sheriff and has more than 50 years of experience in law enforcement. The 76-year-old underwent a heart procedure last year, but Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said it was elective and not because of an emergency.
Election Results
Florida primary election results for Aug. 20, 2024
In the 2020 election, Bradshaw defeated former captain and retired veteran Diaz.
Bradshaw is the 16th sheriff to serve as the county's chief law enforcement officer since the agency's inception in 1909.
WATCH BELOW: Michael Gauger tells WPTV why he is qualified to become the next sheriff
Bradshaw and Gauger will now face off in the November general election.
“I’m not really worried about who I face, because I know I’m the most qualified candidate," Bradshaw said. "We are going to run a very professional campaign like we have done before. Get our message out to voters and we believe the voters are going to say thanks for keeping us safe.”
Gauger said he plans to run the agency differently from Bradshaw if he wins the November election.
"He closed a lot of programs that I was involved in and I helped built and changed them tremendously, so that they work with the community as well as they should," Gauger told WPTV's Janny Rodriguez. "He has a whole different idea as to what community policing is."
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