Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.Heather Lappin was leading her primary opponent Bill Phillips by nearly 3300 votes Wednesday, as the county continues to tabulate ballots.
Lappin worked for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department for 19 years and is currently the East Section Commander at the Pima County jail. Phillips retired from the Pima County Sheriff’s Department as a Lieutenant after 31 years.
Nanos, a Democrat, was first appointed to office in 2015. He lost a bid for the seat in 2016 to Republican Mark Napier and won the seat from Napier in 2020.
Lappin says she thinks the Sheriff’s department needs a change of leadership after decades of "good old boys" and the same style of leadership.
“This is a David and Goliath battle right here,” she said. “I'm a political nobody. I don't have a ton of name recognition. I've stayed quiet. My whole career, I've just done my job, but I had to stand up and do what was right.”
By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.