OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Voters in Johnson County elected the first Democrat to serve as sheriff in nearly 100 years Tuesday night, sending Byron Roberson to the office.
Roberson, who currently serves as chief of police in Prairie Village, defeated Republican Doug Bedford 50.5-49.4 percent.
“I feel like a weight has been lifted off me,” Roberson told KSHB 41 News reporter La’Nita Brooks at a watch party Tuesday night. “I’ve been on this journey since last November and now I can take a breath.”
Voters closely followed the race for Johnson County sheriff after Bedford defeated incumbent Sheriff Calvin Hayden in the GOP primary in August.
Hayden faced criticisms from county officials for his then-ongoing investigation of voting irregularities in previous elections. He announced before the August primary that he was suspending his investigation.
“I think that the voters of Johnson County were ready for a change,” Roberson said. “I was the change agent for that.”
Roberson said he looks forward to collaborating with the community and finding ways to involve them in the solution.
“That’s what I’ve done for years at the Prairie Village Police Department as chief of police. Now, I’m going to do the same for Johnson County,” he said.
In addition to being the first Democrat to be named Johnson County sheriff, Roberson is the first Black man to serve in the position.
“This is history,” Roberson said. “It’s been 96 years since a Democrat has been elected sheriff in this county.”
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