York County Sheriff-Elect expresses gratitude after tumultuous race

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — After a strange race full of twists and turns, retired Rock Hill lieutenant and political newcomer Tony Breeden is almost guaranteed to be the next York County sheriff.

This comes after he won the Republican nomination for the job in a race that has no Democrats registered to run against him in the November general election.

Breeden said the sheriff’s office is already in a good place, and his goal is to make sure people feel safe.

“Ever since I got out of high school and went into the Marine Corps, I’ve just served my whole life. I have. When I retired two years ago, even last November, I started looking to get back into law enforcement,” Breeden elaborated.

This race drew a lot of attention when the current Sheriff, Kevin Tolson, announced he would not seek re-election just before the registration deadline for candidates.

Tolson’s wife ended up being the only one to meet the original deadline before the county reopened registration for more people to throw their hats in the ring.

After two rounds of voting, Breeden beat Michael Belk in a runoff election for the Republican nomination. He said he never considered the unusual circumstances surrounding the contest.

“We just didn’t get wrapped up in the how and the why. We didn’t. We just never really talked about that. We still haven’t discussed it. Once it opened back up, we just saw it as our opportunity, so it never really mattered,” Breeden said.

Breeden is set to take over the job in January of 2025. He will earn a salary of over $200,000 per year for his four-year term.

“We’re just truly humbled by the great people that we met. There are so many great people in the county, and there are so many people that just love their country and everything about that, and we’re just extremely appreciative of this opportunity,” Breeden elaborated.

The sheriff-elect says he has only texted the current sheriff since his victory, but there is a plan for the two of them to meet and discuss the job soon.

VIDEO: Results: York County sheriff race heads to runoff

Results: York County sheriff race heads to runoff

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