Wasatch County Republicans voted for change in the sheriff’s office Tuesday night, handing Jeremy Hales the lead over incumbent Jared Rigby.
With a decisive edge in the primary election results released Tuesday night, the Republican will likely advance to the November ballot.
Preliminary numbers show Hales with 66%, or more than 3,000votes. Rigby tallied a little over 33% with over 1,500 votes.
Wasatch County elections officials said there were almost 800 ballots still to count, with more results expected Wednesday.
Hales has been the county’s director of emergency management for the past decade. He has said he wants to “bring calm to the chaos” in law enforcement.
When Hales announced his run for office in January, he told KPCW he’ll put locals first.
“I’m here for them,” he said. “I’m not out to do anything else but provide the best service possible from the sheriff's office.”
Hales’ primary lead marks a significant shift for the sheriff’s office, where Rigby has been at the helm since 2019.
This year’s sheriff race unfolds against the backdrop of the Summit County Attorney’s Office investigation into Rigby for alleged felony obstruction of justice ahead of the Kouri Richins murder trial.
Rigby has said he followed the law and that the allegations are “politically motivated.”
Hales will face Paul Moore, an unaffiliated candidate, in November. No Democrats are running for sheriff in Wasatch County.
Residents also voted in Republican primaries for county council, clerk-auditor and state and federal House seats.
There is not yet a clear winner for the at-large county council race. Rachel Kahler leads with 51% of the votes to William “Brett” Vance’s 49%.
Park City recorder Michelle Kellogg leads current clerk-auditor Joey Granger 54% to 46%.
In U.S. House District 3’s GOP primary, incumbent Celeste Maloy secured 67% of the vote over Phil Lyman’s 33%.
And in Utah House District 59, Luke Searle’s 55% bests Jeffrey Pierce’s 45%. The winner will face Democrat and former Midway Mayor Celeste Johnson.
More votes remain to count, and the primary results are preliminary until finalized in Wasatch County July 1.
The primary election winners will be on the ballot in the Nov. 3 general election.
