HOUSTON – Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman conceded the race for Sheriff to opponent Ed Gonzales after 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Hickman was one of two Republican incumbents ousted in local races.
He spoke to supporters at a party held at Shirley Acres in Spring, acknowledging his colleagues and thanking them for their support during his tenure as Sheriff.
"Houston doesn't know what they have done," one supporter said while fighting back tears. "From the wife of a deputy, they don't know what they've done."
Hickman pointed to the presidential race when asked why he thought his opponent appeared to be having so much success.
Meanwhile at Fitzgerald’s in Houston, a victorious Gonzales took the stage with his wife Melissa and spoke about how honored and humbled he felt to win the job he has wanted for so long.
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He promised during his campaign to overhaul the Harris County Jail System and to put more money into putting more deputies on patrol.
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“We have to move the Sheriff’s Department forward. We have to improve the work we do and the real work begins now,” Gonzales said.
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