Incumbent Chris Nanos had an early lead in the Democratic primary race for Pima County sheriff, taking about 61 percent of the vote, over Sanford "Sandy" Rosenthal, who had about 39 percent of the vote, initial results showed.
The candidate who wins the primary will be going up against the winner of the three-way Republican primary. In it, Heather Lappin had an early lead over Bill Phillips and Terry Frederick.
Nanos has had four decades of law enforcement experience and four years of experience being sheriff.
Nanos was appointed sheriff in 2015 after Clarence Dupnik retired after 28 years at the helm. He lost the post to Republican Mark Napier in 2016, but won it back in 2020.
Among implemented measures Nanos cited during the campaign are body-worn cameras to instill transparency and safety, the Critical Incident Team and the Active Shooter Response Team, increasing staffing from 77% to 96% and adjusting district boundaries to help with response time. “Moving public safety in the right direction” is the goal listed on his website.
Nanos, whose career began in El Paso before he moved to Tucson in 1984 to work as a corrections officer, has had an upward rise within the sheriff’s department over the decades. He says his goal has been his focus on criminal investigations, including violent crimes, sex crimes and narcotics interdiction.
Tucson native Rosenthal, who served in the army before beginning his trajectory with the sheriff’s department as a patrol deputy in 1978, has held various positions in his 36 years before retiring.
Among his roles were patrol sergeant, commander, bomb technician, developing the Regional S.W.A.T. team and working in Human Resources.
Rosenthal’s focus areas include recruitment and retention within the department, fixing the Pima County jail, improving school safety and creating a safer community.
