MOUNT PLEASANT — Racine County voters selected Racine County Sheriff's Office Captain Cary Madrigal to represent the Republican party in this year's race for sheriff.
On Tuesday's partisan primary ballot, residents chose between Madrigal and former City of Racine Alder Henry Perez.
As of Tuesday night, unofficial results with 92.05% of Racine County reporting showed Madrigal with 9,533 votes and Perez with 5,370.
"I just want to thank everyone who took the time to do the research and find out the truth and find out what my goals are, what my vision is," Madrigal said following Tuesday's results.
Tuesday's partisan primary came after current Sheriff Christopher Schmaling announced his retirement in January. He served 16 years as the county's elected sheriff.
Madrigal said her vision "is continuing with the positive trajectory" she's seen in the agency during her 26 years with the Racine County Sheriff's Office.
She said that includes supporting RCSO staff, continuing to introduce technology, and taking care of Racine County residents.
"That goes for every inch of Racine County," she said.
Madrigal's primary victory comes following a campaign during which she made her disciplinary records public after a Racine County resident filed an open records request for those records.
Her records include a 10-day suspension for failure to take action upon learning that a RCSO employee received an unsolicited photo from former deputy Preston Kite, who pleaded guilty to child sexual exploitation and child pornography charges in 2024.
Madrigal was not in her current role at the time, and the employee did not file a complaint within the department regarding Kite.
Madrigal told TMJ4's Lauren Sklba in May that her records reflect someone who has acknowledged their mistakes, and she said releasing those records was an opportunity for voters to be informed.
On Tuesday, Madrigal thanked voters "for seeing me for who I am and believing that I'm the right person for this position."
Watch: Racine County voters select current sheriff's office captain to represent Republican party in sheriff's race
Voters said Tuesday as polls were still open that they hoped to see someone with good character in office come 2027.
"Just someone who's strong, who's honest, who really shows a good example of what a sheriff needs to do, and to hold up the law," Andrea Bentz, a Mount Pleasant voter, said.
Raul Guzman, another Mount Pleasant voter, echoed Bentz's sentiment.
"They're fair, do the right job, and always keep it where it makes sense. Not something out of the ordinary," he said. "Just do the right thing, what we all believe, and it'll be good after that."
Magridal will face Democratic challenger and Racine County Sheriff's Office veteran Don Vandervest in November's general election.
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