Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap holds his phone in the air, telling supporters he just received a call from his opponent, Dan Knowles, congratulating him on his re-election.
SKIP BUTLER/The Daily Tribune News
Millsap earned his fourth term as sheriff after earning 9.164 votes, or 63.3 percent. All numbers were current at press time.
"I'm ecstatic, I'm overjoyed. Believe it or not, you've known me a long time, I'm kind of speechless," Millsap said Tuesday evening at his campaign gathering at Grand Oaks.
"The support that's been shown throughout this county for us and shown for the sheriff's office and for me as the sheriff, it's humbling," he said. "These guys and gals I work with every day at the sheriff's office, they're my family and I can't thank them enough. I can't thank my immediate family enough."
Knowles, who will return to his position as Bartow County Schools' Chief of Police, said he'll go back to a job he enjoys.
"I love my job there. This was just an opportunity I thought I had to take," he said, adding he hoped Millsap took away ideas from the election on how to improve his department. "If he does all those things, it will be harder for somebody next time."
For Millsap, he plans to go back to business as usual.
"The first order of business is to go right back to work, doing what we were doing before this election came about," he said. "We've got a lot of work to keep doing, just keep providing Bartow with the best protection we can find."
Millsap has stated he plans to seek a fifth term in 2016, his last before .