Sheriff Graziano hopes to keep seat while Ritche looks to expand law enforcement leadership

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano hopes to keep her seat during Tuesday’s election. She is running against Carl Ritchie, the former Mount Pleasant police chief.

Sheriff Graziano said she was calm and feeling great about the race while at Drayton Hall Elementary School on Tuesday afternoon where she shook hands with poll workers and thanked them for their hard work.

Graziano said she was proud of the campaign she has run over the last several months, and said that as sheriff, she had a lot of success, and her vision to make the community a safer place is what she’s hoping to carry into her next term if re-elected.

“The last four years are really about making Charleston better today than it was yesterday. And that’s kind of been the theme of my administration and the goal going forward,” she said. “I really haven’t come off that message, I haven’t strayed from it- I have been very focused on our community.”

She added that policing and law enforcement is some of the toughest work you could ever do, but said it’s highly rewarding.

Meanwhile, Republican candidate Carl Ritchie is hoping to expand his law enforcement leadership to serve all of Charleston County as sheriff.

He is currently serving as a councilman for the town and said he has served the public and country for more than 40 years.

While Ritchie voted early, he spent much of the day at several polling places to make his final appeal to voters. He has been campaigning for just over a year and recently laid out a five-point plan to improve conditions at the Al Cannon Detention Center if elected sheriff.

“I have a proven record of public service. Over 40 years of serving not only my country but my town as a police officer for over 33 years including being a police chief, and currently serving as a town council member- so the whole public service thing is just in my DNA. It’s just what I enjoy doing, I enjoy serving others and protecting others,” he said.

Click here to see local election results when the polls close at 7pm.