PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has won a sixth term in Tuesday's election, defeating Republican challenger Michael Gauger.
Bradshaw, a Democrat, was first elected in 2004 and has served nearly five decades in law enforcement. He's Palm Beach County's longest-serving sheriff.
Bradshaw began his career in law enforcement as a member of the West Palm Beach Police Department, where he rose through the ranks before being appointed chief of police.
With all 798 precincts reporting, Bradshaw received 416,564 votes to Gauger's 301,364, according to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections website.
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During his campaign, Bradshaw highlighted PBSO's success in taking down gangs, busting pill mills, hunting down cyber predators, and locking up human traffickers under his leadership.
The 76-year-old underwent a heart procedure in 2022, but Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera said it was elective and not because of an emergency.
Gauger, a now-retired chief deputy for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, ran on a platform of focusing on community policing.
At a candidates' forum in September, Gauger criticized the sheriff's office's proposed $952 million budget for next year, saying he would spend more frugally if elected.
