PHOENIX – Incumbent Democrat Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone continued to hold a sizeable lead Thursday evening over Republican challenger Jerry Sheridan.

Following the latest release from the Maricopa County Elections Department, Penzone continued to hold a likely insurmountable lead of 56-44%%, with a vote margin of more than 200,000.

Penzone was originally elected to the position in 2016 when he topped longtime Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio by more than 10 percentage points.

In the August primary, Sheridan edged out Arpaio by 1.7 points to win the Republican ticket for the office. Arpaio had held the position for more than two decades before Penzone defeated him in the previous election.

Since taking office in 2016, Penzone has done away with some of Arpaio’s controversial programs and policies, like Tent City jail, which Penzone closed and tore down in 2017.

During his campaign, Penzone pledged to continue to rehabilitate the reputation and priorities of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheridan, who previously worked closely with Arpaio for more than 20 years, pledged during his campaign to reinstate some of the longtime policies that Arpaio had previously put in place.

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