Why insiders say ‘people’s choice’ for York County sheriff won’t be decided on June 11

York County voters now know the field of Republican candidates for sheriff in the June 11 primary, but the winner probably won’t be crowned until a runoff two weeks later .

If no candidate gets more than half the vote June 11, a runoff of the top two vote-getters would be June 25. And the likelihood of that happening is high because there are five candidates, each of whom has a long history in law enforcement, according to area Republican leaders David O’Neal and Glenn McCall as well as Winthrop political science professor Adolphus Belk.

“With five in the race, it is almost definite there will be a runoff,” said S.C. Rep. O’Neal, a former Tega Cay mayor and congressional aide to U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman who’s not seeking reelection this year.

O’Neal has not endorsed any candidate — although he has been asked.

“This is great for democracy,” O’Neal said. “I wish every race had five candidates. This really makes the race the voice of the people of York County. The sheriff will be the people’s choice.”

The general election is Nov. 5. But Democrats did not field a sheriff candidate in York County. So, the Republican primary winner is likely the next sheriff and would take office in January. Any registered voter is eligible to vote in South Carolina in a party’s primary in the county where they live.

The candidates when filing ended Wednesday included retired deputies Heath Clevenger and Chris Blevins, retired Rock Hill police officer Tony Breeden, current Rock Hill police deputy chief Michael Belk and Beth Bryant Tolson, the current sheriff’s wife who also has law enforcement experience.

Will leadership traits be key?

Because it is a Republican primary, all candidates likely will talk about law and order and the impacts of crime on the community, said Adolphus Belk, who has followed local, state and national politics for years and is not related to candidate Michael Belk. Each sheriff candidate also has more than 25 years of law enforcement service and rose through the ranks to leadership jobs. That’s why personality and leadership traits might be crucial for voters to decide, Adolphus Belk said.

“The research tells us that when there are candidates with similar political views, there can be a type of personality contest,” he said. “The candidates will have to show who they are as a person.”

Tolson’s campaign, for example, is already pointing out not just her decades of experience at the sheriff’s office and as an investigator for prosecutors, but that she would be York County’s first female sheriff if she wins.

York County has never had a woman sheriff, and South Carolina has had just one female sheriff in its history. The sheriff in Charleston County, Kristin Graziano, was elected in 2020.

Leadership in emergency situations

Despite what their resumes say, Adolphus Belk says candidates still will need to convince voters they have the leadership chops to run an office that deals with emergency situations.

The sheriff’s office and Rock Hill Police Department in recent years have dealt with violent events that garnered the attention of the country.

In January 2018, gunman Christian McCall killed York County deputy Mike Doty during a manhunt by SWAT outside York. Three other officers were wounded.

Then in April 2021, former NFL player Phillip Adams killed six people before committing suicide outside Rock Hill.

In June 2021, the arrest of a Black man in Rock Hill captured on video that went viral sparked three days of protests in the city over police tactics. Protesters were up against police in riot gear.

Voters will be asked to determine which of the five candidates could handle such immense pressure and responsibility, Adolphus Belk said.

“Each (candidate) will have to show they are big enough and courageous enough to rise to the level of the problem,” Belk said. ‘The sheriff is in charge when something truly terrible happens. The sheriff must be able to lead.”

A big task: Name recognition

Besides leadership and personality, McCall, who hasn’t endorsed anyone in the election, says sheriff candidates will need to make sure people know their names.

“They all have to jump in with both feet, morning, noon, and night,” said McCall, who was co-chair of the 2020 Republican National Convention and previously chairman of the York County Republican Party. “The candidates have to show their background, their experience, to people who are politically astute and interested. They have to get their message out — and super fast. It’s a sprint.”

McCall said Tolson, whose father, Bruce Bryant, was sheriff for 20 years before that, begins with a name recognition advantage.

The campaign: What to expect

Republican primary voters are active politically and generally older than the general election. There are also fewer voters in a primary. York County, for example, has over 186,000 registered voters, but just 32,660 people voted in York County’s 2020 Republican primary.

O’Neal helped run successful campaigns for congressman Norman and directed his own winning races for Tega Cay mayor and statehouse. He said candidates will need to raise tens of thousands of dollars for direct mail, signs, and other campaign materials.

“I spent $8,000 alone on direct mail for my last campaign and that was just targeted at Republicans in my district,” O’Neal said. “ These candidates have to reach a whole county.”

Campaign appearances out in the public are crucial, O’Neal said.

“We would go to restaurants and talk to everybody there,” O’Neal said of past campaigns. “That is where local candidates meet real people - the voters. You can’t win without it.”

O’Neal, McCall and Belk said modern campaigns also will use social media to supplement campaign appearances. Social media postings are free and get out a candidate’s name and views when shared.

Rob Godfrey, a longtime South Carolina political consultant not involved in the sheriff’s race, said the large number of candidates seeking an open seat for the crucial public safety sheriff job is almost unprecedented. Each candidate will be fighting for voters’ attention and may engage with each other during the campaign.

The campaign could be nastier than usual, Godfrey said.

“There’s no race more important locally than the race for sheriff,” Godfrey said.

O’Neal, McCall and Belk said modern campaigns also will use social media to supplement campaign appearances. Social media postings are free and help get out a candidate’s name and views when shared.

Belk said candidates may focus on hot-button crime issues such as fentanyl, a drug that has become a leading cause for overdoses and violence. The candidates could try to reach voters who have strong feelings about violent crime, Belk said.

“Most crime issues are issues that handled by the local government, not the federal government,” Belk said. “This is a local race, where the job these candidates are seeking is law enforcement and public safety.”

Key dates and what’s at stake

Although the primary is June 11, early voting starts May 28, said Alison Mallard of the York County Voter Registration and Elections Office.

Anyone who wants to vote in the primary must be registered to vote by May 12, Mallard said.

The sheriff elected in 2024 would take office in January 2025. The sheriff position is a four-year term and with an annual salary of $209,261.

York County Republican Party leaders voted to reopen filing April 9 after public pressure following current Sheriff Kevin Tolson’s surprise withdrawal. Instead of reelection, he’s taking a job next year with a nonprofit that offers mental health services for first responders.

Kevin Tolson filed for re-election March 18, but withdrew from the race when filing ended April 1 - when his wife filed for the job. He is supporting his wife’s bid for sheriff. State law allowed the party to extend filing because there was only one candidate left after the withdrawal of Kevin Tolson.

The sheriff’s office has than 300 employees in law enforcement and detention. The sheriff has countywide jurisdiction, but is separate from municipal police departments in Rock Hill, Fort Mill, York, Clover and Tega Cay. The annual budget for the sheriff’s office is around $55 million, York County documents show.

The sheriff’s office has its own lab for DNA and drugs and and other forensic testing, and operates units that include patrol, detectives, traffic, and other specialized services.