JONESBORO — A Craighead County chief deputy defeated two Democratic challengers in a primary Tuesday and avoided a runoff election, just as his boss did 14 years ago.
Marty Boyd, 42, who has worked in the sheriff’s office for 21 years, will face Republican challenger Dwight Tosh, who defeated Paul Culbreath in that party’s primary election, in the November general election.
Craighead County Sheriff Jack McCann did not seek re-election for an eighth two year term. McCann was first elected in 1998 and, like Boyd, avoided a runoff in his first political venture. McCann defeated four other Democratic candidates in that election.
“I feel great,” Boyd said Tuesday night. “I credit this win to the voters of Craighead County who educated themselves about the candidates and saw that I was the most qualified to do this job.”
Complete, but unofficial results in the Democratic primary were: Boyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,111 John Shipman . . . . . . . . . 1,277 Larry Kelly. . . . . . . . . . . . . .641
Complete, but unofficial results in the Republican primary were: Tosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,600 Culbreath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .562
Boyd began working at the sheriff’s office in Jonesboro as a dispatcher and jailer when he was 21. He has also been a field training officer and a deputy. He stressed his administrative experiences,along with his law enforcement jobs, during his campaign.
“It was a hard campaign,” Boyd said. “We went door to door to get our message out. I wanted everyone to know who I was.”
This was Boyd’s first campaign.
“The first thing I want to do is take a break and reunite with my family,” he said. “My focus is on them now. I want to take a few days off and enjoy this with them.
“Then I’ll get back on the campaign and refocus for November.”
Tosh, 63, is a retired Arkansas State Police troop commander and owns a private-investigation company in Jonesboro.
“I’m humbled,” Tosh said of his primary victory. “I’ve never been in the political arena before and it’s rewarding. To reach out for support and to receive it is overwhelming.”
Craighead County Clerk Nancy Nelms said more than 2,100 people voted in the Republican primary Tuesday, which was unusual for the county.
She credited the sheriff’s race, along with several Republican presidential candidates, for drawing out Republican voters.
Tosh said he will take a break from the campaign trail before preparing for his run against Boyd in November.
“I dedicated my life to law enforcement ... and to lead the people and serve them in law enforcement,” Tosh said. “Hopefully, I can do it again as sheriff.”
Arkansas, Pages 19 on 05/23/2012