Kitsap County sheriff’s Det. Sgt. Brandon Myers held a commanding lead over Rick Kuss, a King County sheriff’s deputy, in early returns Tuesday night in the race for Kitsap County sheriff.
Myers had 53,958 votes, or 59.8%, to Kuss’ 36,148, or 40.1%, a margin of 17,810 votes, according to unofficial results posted by the Kitsap County Auditor’s Office at 8:13 p.m. Tuesday.
Countywide, 92,136 ballots had been counted, a turnout of 45.1% of Kitsap County’s 204,242 registered voters.
The Kitsap County Auditor’s Office will keep counting ballots in the coming days, including mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day, and results can change. The county is scheduled to certify the election Nov. 24.
The winner will serve a four-year term.
The seat is open. Sheriff John Gese, first elected in 2018, is retiring and did not seek a third term.
Myers, who lists a Democratic Party preference, has spent 23 years with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, starting as an Explorer cadet at 17 and working as a 911 dispatcher, reserve deputy, patrol deputy and supervisor. He now supervises major crime and child abuse investigations. He has said his priorities are staffing, recruitment and retention, and community partnerships. It is his first run for office.
Kuss, who lists a Republican Party preference, is a retired Navy officer and a sheriff’s deputy in King County who trained as a mental health co-responder. He ran against Gese in 2022. He has said he would focus on fentanyl enforcement, protecting children and constitutional rights. This spring he sued over a new state law requiring elected sheriffs to have five years of law enforcement experience; a Thurston County judge has blocked the law.
In the Aug. 4 primary, Myers drew 58% of the vote to Kuss’ 41.9%.
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