Ty Rupert Leads the Deschutes County Sheriff Race

The race for Deschutes County sheriff appeared to be decided Wednesday morning for Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert, who pulled more than 62,000 votes, surpassing opponent James “Mac” McLaughlin’s approximate 27,000 votes.

This sheriff race was nothing if not reminiscent of recent sheriff races that were tarnished with investigations and accusations of politicking and theatrics.

Both candidates in this year’s contest have served the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 20 years, and both candidates are currently under investigation. Interim Sheriff Rupert opened an internal investigation into McLaughlin in June for misconduct allegations stemming from a SWAT raid in February. More recently, in August, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission announced that a preliminary review of Rupert’s alleged misuse of county resources found enough evidence for the body to open a full investigation.

Rupert said in a statement to the Source late Tuesday evening that he’s humbled by the results yet acknowledged more ballots were being counted.

“I want to thank the citizens for voting for the ones that supported me,” Rupert said, adding this his work isn’t done until he’s earned the trust of those who didn’t vote for him. “I’m proud of the work the men and women do for our community. We have an incredible community and it’s hard to get too excited tonight about the election when we still have the families that had tremendous loss at Silver Rail recently. My prayers are with them.”

In a text message to the Source Tuesday evening, McLaughlin acknowledged the results, adding that he nonetheless is “proud of our community and this campaign. Regardless of the outcome, love wins.”

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