Democrat Chris Nanos, left, is in a rematch with Sheriff Mark Napier, a Republican.

 File photos

Mark Napier will face a familiar political foe in the November election to keep his post — Chris Nanos, whom he beat in the 2016 race for Pima County sheriff.

Nanos defeated his democratic challenger Kevin E. Kubitskey with about 65% of the vote, the county’s vote tally showed Wednesday. Kubitskey did not respond to multiple calls for comment.

Nanos lost to Napier after serving as interim Pima County sheriff for a year.

“This just has a different feel to it,” Nanos said Tuesday night. “And I think it’s the feel of support.”

Nanos said he feels the community and Sheriff’s Department employees are behind him now compared with his 2016 campaign.

“We’re going to show the community why I should be the sheriff,” Nanos said. “It’s a really distinct choice between two candidates — one who wants to serve his community and support the team that does that and one who has nothing more than his own self-interest at heart.”

Leading up to the primary election, Nanos said his top focus, if elected, would be to reform the department in several ways, including by rethinking bail requirements and reducing the jail population.

Nanos was interim sheriff from 2015 to 2016 after Clarence Dupnik, who held office from 1987 to 2015, retired. During his year leading the department, an FBI investigation found that several members of the department “conspired to circumvent the restrictions on the use of forfeiture funds.”

The department’s then-second-in-command, Chris Radtke, pleaded guilty in February 2017 to three counts of misdemeanor theft of government property, according to Arizona Daily Star archives.

A man who died while in police custody early Tuesday morning likely overdosed, police said. Read more here: http://tucne.ws/1fjd

Nanos did not face charges in the investigation, which he has said he inherited from his predecessor.

“Last time around the election there was a lot of straight up lies from my opponent trying to muddy my name and my career,” Nanos said.

Nanos said he hopes someone will set up debates leading up to the November election, “so that people can see the real difference between Mark and I.”

“I think it’s pretty clear that I have experience and I’ve done Mark’s job and it’s kind of interesting because what I did in one year as sheriff Mark hasn’t been able to accomplish in four years,” Nanos said.

The department has lacked transparency under Napier, he said.

Nanos has 41 years of experience in law enforcement, starting as an officer with the El Paso Police Department and working his way up the ranks in the Pima County Sheriff’s Department from 1983 to 2016.

Napier on Wednesday said his main focus leading up to the November election is to continue to serve as county sheriff.

“People elected me to be the sheriff for four years not three and a half years,” he said.

Napier has 38 years of law enforcement experience in four different departments, including 21 years with the Tucson Police Department.

If elected, Napier said he’ll continue to move the department forward, be fiscally responsible and engage in law enforcement reform efforts.

“I have a proven track record as sheriff and my opponent does, too, and those track records are significantly different,” Napier said.

Napier said since 2016, his track record shows he sees public safety as a community and quality-of-life issue rather than a political one. Napier says his time in office shows he serves all Pima County residents.

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