Democrat Fredda Maddox Is Chester County's New Sheriff

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — For the first time in nearly two decades, there will be a new sheriff in town in Chester County. Longtime Republican Sheriff Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh announced her retirement a year ago, giving a newcomer their first realistic shot to win the seat since she took office in 2000.

That new sheriff will be Democrat Fredda Maddox, a former Pennsylvania state trooper, according to unofficial results.

Maddox defeated retired FBI agent Jim Fitzgerald by a tally of 73,072 to 65,837, unofficial results show.

10:58 p.m.

With 197 of 228 precincts in, Maddox still holds the same roughly 5,000 to 6,000 vote lead she held when just 85 precincts had reported an hour ago. Though voters in the recently reporting precincts have kept Fitzgerald in the race, he'll need a very strong showing in the final precincts to surmount Maddox's lead:

• Maddox: 60,547
• Fitzgerald: 54,235

10:26 p.m.

The race is now more than halfway over, with 138 of 228 precincts reporting. While Maddox doesn't have quite the lead that Deb Ryan does over Michael Noone in the DA's race, she's gained some solid separation:

• Maddox: 40,837
• Fitzgerald: 34,340

9:59 p.m.

Maddox maintains her lead over Fitzgerald, 25,123 to 20,954. A total of 85 precincts have reported in.

9:42 p.m.

With 45 of 228 precincts reporting, Maddox holds a 12,005 to 10,119 lead over Fitzgerald.

9:03 p.m.

With just five precincts out of 228 reporting, Maddox holds an early lead, 1,498 to 1,263.

8:40 p.m.

Polls officially closed in Pennsylvania at 8 p.m., and a tally of votes is underway.

As of 8:40 p.m., no Chester County precincts had yet reported results.

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Fitzgerald ran unopposed in the primary with the full backing of local Republicans. Maddox, meanwhile, defeated a field of three other Democrats — Joe Lunsford, Dan Boyle, and Mike Sarro — to earn the nomination.

Now a practicing attorney representing abused children, Maddox says that building trust between law enforcement and all members of the community, regardless of race or any other difference, will be a chief goal.

Fitzgerald cites his specific objectives as providing increased training to deputies, ensuring that the K9 unit and it's funding sources "are in compliance with laws and regulations," as well as using the sheriff's office as a "force multiplier" to support other efforts around the county.

The new sheriff will fill the shoes of a Welsh, who became a nationally recognized figure during her tenure. Named to the board of the National Sheriffs Association in 2011, Welsh was a longtime supporter of President Trump. She cast her delegate ballot for him at the 2016 Republican National Convention, and later joined him at the White House in Feb. 2017 during an Association meeting.