Chesco Sheriff Bunny Welsh 'Like A Mother Handing Over Her Child'

WEST CHESTER, PA — For nearly two decades, Republican Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh has been the face of law enforcement in Chester County, serving as sheriff since 2000 and becoming a regionally and even nationally recognized figure in that time.

On Tuesday, her successor was elected: Democrat Fredda Maddox. Though Welsh announced her decision to retire nearly a year ago, having the election results now set in stone makes things feel a little bit different.

"I feel somewhat like a mother who is handing over her precious child to a new caregiver," Welsh said in a statement late Wednesday morning.

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The Republican choice to replace Welsh on the ballot, Jim Fitzgerald, was defeated by a solid margin, 73,072 to 65,837.

That's a drastic, shocking turnaround from Welsh's last re-election, in 2015, when she defeated her challenger, Democrat James Bell, by a tally of 50,316 to 34,274.

Fitzgerald was not alone, as Democrats swept all county-level offices up for grabs on Tuesday. It's a complex election that can't be boiled down to just one factor. Was it a continuation of 2018's "blue wave" as a reaction against President Trump? Are there simply more Democrats voting in Chester County now? Is there a specific backlash to local conservative leadership?

But Welsh, for her part, said she is more concerned with smoothing the transition for the new sheriff.

"I will be offering the next sheriff multiple opportunities to meet everyone and familiarize herself with the operations of the office,” she said. “Then in January, I will turn over to her the best sheriff’s office in the commonwealth."

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Maddox, now a practicing attorney who represents children who have been abused, is a former Pennsylvania state trooper and special agent in the state's office of the attorney general.

"Thank you to everyone who supported my campaign," Maddox said Wednesday morning.

Maddox is the first Democratic woman to hold the office.

>>Democrats Take Control Of Chester County Board of Commissioners