Thousands of people told Randy Emerson over the last few years that they would vote for him for sheriff this election year.
Only 392 actually did.
Emerson lost his second – and he says last – campaign for sheriff in Tuesday’s primary election. Undersheriff Don Read won 88 percent of the votes cast – Emerson got only 12 percent.
"I didn’t think there would be that big a gap," he said. "I really don’t know what happened."
Four years ago Emerson ran on the Democratic ticket against incumbent Sheriff Bob Odell, a Republican. Both Emerson and Read ran on the Republican ticket this time. There is no Democratic candidate so?Read will run unopposed in the November general election and take office in January.
More people voted in the sheriff’s race four years ago when the race "was not contested at all," Emerson said. "That shows me there is a problem there somewhere but what it was I have no idea.
"The main thing is, I still say the county got a good sheriff. They were going to get one a good one either way," he said. "I have a great deal of respect for Don (Read). In a fight, you can come out enemies or friends. I think we drew a little closer. He’s a good man."
Several issues cropped up in the final days before the primary that Emerson concedes hurt his campaign. One issue dealt with his time with the Udall Police Department and whether he was the interim chief,?acting chief, or officer in charge during a brief time the city was without a chief.
"I called myself chief. I should have said acting chief or interim or officer in charge. I did the job. I deserve to be able to use that in a resume," Emerson said. "If I applied for a chiefs job somewhere, or a police officer in Winfield or New York City, I’d put that on the resume.
Emerson said he ran a good campaign, a clean campaign, and so did Read. Some things were brought out that probably shouldn’t have been brought out, such as the Udall chief issue and a personal bankruptcy several years ago. Both issues hurt his efforts, he said.
"It didn’t sway any votes. What it did, I think, people who were going to vote for me just didn’t got to the polls," Emerson said. "I had more than 390 people who were going to vote for me."
Emerson isn’t interested in running for any more political offices, although he indicated earlier in an interview on KSOK that he might be interested in a seat on the county commission.
"I think anybody who does (run for office) needs to be commended for it. It is an amazing amount of work," he said. "I literally put my blood and sweat and tears into this."
Emerson’s wife, Carrie, was described as "awesome" for what she has gone through to support her husband’s campaign. "She is wonderful," he said. "I couldn’t have done it without her.
"She literally had to listen to me talk about it every day for five years," Emerson said. "And you have to put your head out there, and some people will just take a chop at it. It’s sad that’s the way it is. What politics does to people really has amazed me the most."
Emerson, the executive director of the Winfield Housing Authority,?said he’s also had to put up with the loss of several hundred yard signs that were stolen although he is adamant that Read had nothing to do with the disappearances of his signs.
Posters he put up in businesses have disappeared and he said he heard of one businesswoman who told employees they needed to change parties and vote for Read.
Law enforcement, Emerson said, is still in his heart and his blood. "I want to go out at the tail end of my life and retire as a police officer," he said.
