In the race for Jacksonville sheriff, Republican Mike Williams will face off against Democrat Ken Jefferson in the May General Election. Williams narrowly edged out fellow Republican Jimmy Holderfield in Tuesday’s first election, taking 22.2 percent of the vote. Jefferson led with 36.6 percent.
Williams says he’s excited to be able to get to the heart of the issues next time around.
"We knew this would come, that we’ll have more of an opportunity again to talk to more people and have them engage with us a little more and drill down to what we’re really talking about," he said.
Jefferson said his priority is reducing violent crime.
"I pledge to reduce violent crime by 25 percent my first year in office by partnering with all of the entities that I have laid out in my plan and by partnering with the community," Jefferson said. "So we can do better together, and I intend to do that as your sheriff."
Republican Jimmy Holderfield was a close third in the race with 20.4 percent, far surpassing the other four candidates.
