Pinal County: Paul Babeu, Kevin Taylor Hold Leads in Sheriff’s Race, Headed to November General Election (UPDATED)

With nearly all the votes tallied in Pinal County, Sheriff Paul Babeu easily maintained his lead among the Republican candidates, while Democrat Kevin Taylor remained the top pick in the Democratic primary.

Both are headed to the November general election, along with Ty Morgan, an Independent who ran unopposed.

Kevin Taylor tells New Times he first plans to thanks those who voted for him, and then get busy trying to capture the votes of those who didn’t.

“I just want to bring professionalism and integrity back to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office,” Taylor says.

He credits Babeu as an excellent public speaker — the kind, he says, who will sell you a brand-new Bentley, and by the time he’s done, get you thinking the engine is optional.

That aside, Taylor says that Babeu isn’t serving the needs of the county.

He cites all the money Babeu has cost taxpayers in lawsuits over the investigations the sheriff is embroiled in, the PCSO employees who have been on paid leave for months, some longer than a year; and the take-home vehicles he provides for the higher-ups in his department, even though they aren’t the officers who respond first, or at all, to emergencies.

Here are the final unofficial results:

MILLSAPS, GLENN (DEM) ……….4,632 votes……….42.57 percent
TAYLOR, KEVIN (DEM)…………….5,933 votes……….54.53 percent
Write-in (DEM)…………………………316 votes………….2.90 percent
Total……………………………………….10,881 votes

ARNSON, DEREK (REP)………….1,395 votes………7.67 percent
BABEU, PAUL (REP)……………….11,208 votes……..61.61 percent
BEARUP, TOM (REP)………………1,953 votes………10.74 percent
MCCLAREN, JACK (REP)………..3,584 votes………19.70 percent
Write-in (REP)…………………………51 votes…………..0.28 percent
Total………………………………………18,191 votes