MEMPHIS, Tenn — On Tuesday, DeSoto County voters elected Thomas Tuggle as their new sheriff.
Tuggle is endorsed by outgoing sheriff Bill Rasco, who announced his retirement on June 15 after serving a 16-year tenure and winning multiple awards as sheriff.
Tuggle ran against Republican Michael Lee, who conceded to Tuggle before all precinct numbers were counted.
Michael Lee received 36.59% of the votes with 9,110 votes, and Tuggle received 63.33% of the votes with 15,767 votes.
This will be the first new sheriff in DeSoto County in 16 years. Tuggle will also be the county's second-ever Black sheriff, following Jefferson J. Evans, who was elected in 1873.
Across the board, the DeSoto County election was Republican dominated with just a few candidates running as Democrats for various positions. Click here for the DeSoto County unofficial results with all precincts reporting.