Staff Reports
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw made easy work of his Democratic Primary opponent Tuesday night, topping former Riviera Beach Police Major Alex Freeman and moving on to a General Election contest to lead the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) for a sixth term.
With all precincts reporting, Bradshaw had 61% of the vote to Freeman’s 39%.
Bradshaw will now move on to face Michael Gauger, Bradshaw’s No. 2 at PBSO for 16 years. Gauger won the Republican nomination Tuesday night. Gauger had 53.5% of the vote. Lauro Diaz, a 27-year veteran of PBSO, secured 46.5%.
“I am thrilled at my Team’s win,” Gauger said by text. “The opposition’s last-minute (effort) to send out lies by mailers and texts failed. I promise the truth will be told on all! The communities are behind me!”
Bradshaw announced his decision to run for another term in May of last year. Since then, he has remained the runaway favorite to once again secure the Democratic nomination.
Several local officials lined up behind Bradshaw right out of the gate. In his first month, his campaign announced that he had raised $100,000. The cash only continued to pile up as the race went on.
Bradshaw hauled in nearly $808,000 in his campaign account alone, a number nearly tripling the amount pulled in by other candidates, including on the Republican side. Freeman, meanwhile, added less than $55,000 via his campaign account.
But Bradshaw also added nearly $715,000 this cycle via his political committee, Friends of Ric Bradshaw. He will carry forward more than $1.29 million into the General Election.
And just days before the Primary, Bradshaw pulled in double honors from the White House and the Secret Service, commemorating Bradshaw’s years of leadership.
Gauger, meanwhile, earned the nod Tuesday thanks in part to support from the Palm Beach County Fraternal Order of Police, which supported his bid.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Gauger. During a virtual forum, Gauger hurled an expletive at Diaz, later saying he was unaware he was onscreen.
“I had no idea I was live and nobody bothered to tell me,” Gauger said. “I mumbled to myself after listening to all (Diaz’s) nonsense. Then I see the expression on his face and was like, “Oh no. Am I not on mute?’”
He also faced accusations of stolen valor, allegations that Gauger strongly denied.
But ultimately his war chest helped him prevail Tuesday, as he more than tripled Diaz in fundraising, at more than $177,000 to just under $53,000.
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Ryan Nicol and Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
