South Bend Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski is the unofficial Democratic nominee for St. Joseph County Sheriff, defeating opponent Earl Wigfall in the primary race on May 5.
Ruszkowski earned 9,655 out of 14,592 votes, or 66% of the unofficial total.
He will face Republican nominee Rod Laureys for the position, currently held by Sheriff William Redman, who is term-limited, in the general election on Nov. 3.
Ruszkowski is “elated” by the results.
“My whole career, everything I’ve ever done, ever since I was able to do it, from the military all the way to where I am now, has always been about the people; put my trust and confidence in the people,” he said. “There are great, great people, trust and confidence in them, and that’s what they did at the voting booth.”
Leading up to the fall election, Ruszkowski said, he wants voters to know that his platform hasn’t changed — “it’s always been people first.” He said he hopes constituents recognize that he strives for transparency, and that even though he’s in a partisan race, his “people first” approach remains his priority.
“I don’t have blue handcuffs for Democrats or red for Republicans or whatever color for in between,” Ruszkowski said. “That’s the last resort. People will always be first. That should be everybody’s philosophy in this profession. And if it’s not, you probably shouldn’t be in this profession.”
Looking ahead, he said, there’s work to do before the November general election. But first, he’s going to get some rest.
“I know the mayor and some others said we’ve got to hit the ground running tomorrow — that’s not going to happen,” he said. “I’m about to hit the ground right now, because I haven’t slept in like two days. … There’s still obviously a lot of work to do when it comes to the political side of things, and I’m not quite sure what that means.
“All I know is I’m going to continue to be me, and whatever happens next, happens next.”
Email South Bend Tribune staff reporter Rayleigh Deaton at rdeaton@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Ruszkowski defeats Wigfall, wins Democratic primary for SJC sheriff
Reporting by Rayleigh Deaton, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
