Marty Sawyer will face Democrat Lucas Grant in the November election for sheriff after the Aiken Public Safety captain won a landslide victory Tuesday against two Republican challengers.
Capt. Sawyer was heavily endorsed over a year ago by retiring Sheriff Michael Hunt as well as other county officials, using a campaign war chest of donations to flood the county with signs, billboards, mailers and text messages. He told residents that he was the best-qualified candidate to take over the sheriff’s office on his first day with promises of transparency, accountability and a citizen’s advisory committee.
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“This is a humbling event that right now,” Sawyer said Tuesday night after watching results at the Aiken County Complex on University Parkway. “I think that 76 percent of the voters heard my message and trust me to be the Republican candidate for sheriff come November.”
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sawyer dominated with 76.8 percent of the vote, winning every precinct and sweeping a decisive majority to avoid a runoff. Retired ACSO deputy Stuart Prettel, who has served as an SC state constable since 1977, received 15.1 percent of the vote. Ed Wilson, a veteran and seasoned law enforcement professional who owns Georgia-Carolina Bail Bonds, took 8 percent of the vote.
Sawyer said he talked to both challengers on Tuesday night, a testament to the clean campaign they all ran leading up to the primary.
“We had disagreements during debates,” Sawyer said. “But we were professional, and they ran a clean race. We all three ran a clean race.”
During the campaign, Wilson emphasized the need for change and the end of a “good old boy system.” Prettel ran a low-key campaign with limited media interviews and social media videos where he talked about his unwavering commitment to ensure that the citizens of Aiken County feel safe and secure.
The race now moves to November, where Democrat Lucas Grant is hoping to overcome a county that leans Republican.
In a statement Tuesday night, Grant congratulated all of the candidates and said he looked forward to sharing ideas on making Aiken County one of the safest communities in the nation.
In his campaign announcement, Grant touted his vast experience in public safety. He rose quickly at the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and was promoted several times, reaching the rank of Lieutenant before leaving for Aiken County last year. He said he has one of the highest arrest, conviction and solvability rates of the RCSO’s Criminal Investigations Division. As part of the first gang unit, Grant worked to dismantle many known and unknown gangs in the community.
“We have issues regarding drugs, guns and violence in Aiken,” Grant said Tuesday. “The next few months I look forward to continue sharing my vision to solving those problems while also highlighting the difference between me and my opponent.”
In the coming race, Sawyer says he will emphasize his decades of experience working law enforcement in the Aiken community, pointing out that Grant comes from Richmond County and has only worked in Aiken County since last September.
“So my ties to Aiken County in the last 34 years when he has not lived here and worked in Augusta makes me better suited,” Sawyer said.
