Tony Breeden led Michael Belk in the hotly contested York County sheriff Republican primary runoff, according to early voting numbers released Tuesday night.

Breeden had almost 53% of 2,040 votes counted out of about 17,000 votes cast at 7:30 p.m., according to S.C. Election Commission figures posted online and the York County Voter Registration and Elections Office. Belk had just over 47%, election numbers showed.

The winner is almost assured to take office in January 2025 because no Democrat or other candidate has filed to run in November’s general election.

The turnout is around 9% of York County’s 187,802 registered voters, according to the York County elections office. About 1,800 of those votes were from early voting last week.

The sheriff runoff was the only race on the ballot in York County.

Over 25,000 people voted for sheriff in the primary June 11 where Belk was the top vote-getter and Breeden finished a close second to advance to the runoff.

Who are Tony Breeden and Michael Belk?

The two-week runoff turned into a perceived battle between Belk, a top administrator in the Rock Hill Police Department, and street cop Breeden, who tagged himself a populist voice of the regular guy.

Breeden, 55, retired as a lieutenant after 27 years with Rock Hill police. He worked mainly patrol and traffic and spent 25 years on SWAT.

Belk, 53, is the deputy chief of the Rock Hill Police Department with 31 years law enforcement experience. Belk worked patrol and as a detective before rising through the ranks to the number two police job at Rock Hill.

The sheriff job carries responsibilities for public safety for almost 300,000 York County residents. The sheriff not only handles policing outside cities and towns, but also runs the county jail and is the chief conduit between local law enforcement and South Carolina and federal agents.

The sheriff earns $209,261 per year and serves a four-year term. There are more than 400 employees who work at the office with an annual budget of $55 million. The sheriff’s office has its own lab for DNA and drugs and and other forensic testing, and operates units that include patrol, detectives, traffic, and other specialized services.

How the candidates got to Tuesday

In the June 11 primary, Belk finished atop four other candidates, with over 26% of the vote. Breeden was closely behind at over 25%. There was a runoff because no candidate got over 50% of the vote June 11.

The race became competitive in April after Kevin Tolson dropped out after he filed for re-election. Beth Bryant Tolson, filed for the seat on April 1 – the last day of filing.

York County Republicans demanded filing be re-opened because there was just one candidate after Kevin Tolson dropped out.

Check back for updates.