Fewer than 200 votes separated the two Fresno County sheriff candidates late Tuesday, with a winner not likely to be known for up to a month.
Margaret Mims and Calvin Minor traded the lead throughout most of the night. By the end, with all but one precinct reporting, Mims had pulled ahead by a tiny margin.But with thousands of absentee and provisional ballots left to count, Fresno County Clerk Victor Salazar said the race was to close too call. "We have 29 days to certify the election, and it's going to take until the end," he said. "It looks like this one is going to drag out."Both candidates said they knew it was going to be a tight race. At least one, Mims, suggested a recount is possible. Mims, 52, a 23-year Sheriff's Department veteran, did her own informal polling and said: "When we walked the precincts, we marked who was for Minor and who was for us, and I was about 3% ahead."Minor, a retired California Highway Patrol captain, said he was proud of the campaign he ran: "I believe in our system — let the people choose and I can live with that choice."Precinct-level returns showed that Minor won by big margins in large parts of rural Fresno County, but Mims more than offset that advantage by taking roughly two-thirds of the vote in the southern half of Fresno. Minor was stronger in the Sierra foothills, while Mims collected votes in southern Fresno County, around her childhood home in Caruthers.Even though a decision wasn't known Tuesday night, both candidates remained upbeat.Mims celebrated with about 100 supporters at a central Fresno storefront decorated with campaign signs and green and gold balloons — her campaign colors. When she was told about 11:30 p.m. that she was up by 154 votes, the room erupted in cheers.Minor's celebration at the Fresno Deputy Sheriffs Association headquarters, attended by about 100 supporters, wrapped up about midnight as volunteers cleared the tables of bottles and cups. Minor, who turns 58 today, said there was no need to stay up late because the race wouldn't be decided Tuesday.Minor and Mims are battling to replace Richard Pierce, who decided in January not to run for a third term after nearly eight years in office. Both candidates said the department needs new leadership, especially after Pierce became the subject of an attorney general's investigation into a consulting job he had with a private security company. The investigation found no criminal conduct but was critical of some of the decisions made by Pierce and his staff. The new sheriff takes office in January.The two candidates have campaigned since the June primary election after emerging as the top vote-getters in a field of five. Minor placed first in the primary with 37% of the vote. Mims came in second with 28%.Mims has worked her way through the ranks in the department. She was the first female deputy sheriff promoted to lieutenant and the first woman appointed assistant sheriff. As one of three assistant sheriffs, she runs the county's four jails and oversees court security.Minor spent 33 years with the CHP before retiring in 2003 as a captain. During the last five years of his career, Minor ran MAGEC, a multiagency gang task force that includes members of the Sheriff's Department.The race has been expensive. Mims received about $329,000 in contributions, and Minor received about $318,000.The candidates have support from different groups. Minor is backed by the majority of the department's 1,200 employees, including deputies and correctional officers. Mims is endorsed by nine Valley mayors, including Fresno's Alan Autry.One of the most contentious issues in the campaign has been crowding in the Fresno County Jail. The candidates offer different views for fixing the problem. Minor said he wants to rely on a supervised release program, so inmates accused of minor crimes can be monitored electronically while their cases proceed through the courts. Mims wants state law changed to ease some of the restrictions for housing inmates.