Nugent Lands Third Term As Sheriff In Lopsided Victory

Richard Nugent handily won a third term as the county's sheriff Tuesday, beating a write-in political rookie and a Democratic contender.

Early results show Nugent gained 73 percent of the vote with 62,791 ballots in his favor.

Reached Tuesday evening, Nugent, 57, said he was pleased that a majority of the county voted him back into office.

With 36 years of law enforcement under his belt - 24 of those at the sheriff's office - Nugent expects this will be his last term in office.

"We're happy to do these next four (years)," Nugent said.

Nugent got his start at the sheriff's office in 1984 and was elected in 2000 by a 4 percent margin over his challenger, James "Eddie" McConnell. He was re-elected in 2004 with a 62 percent lead over McConnell.

His challengers this time included Luke Frazier, 23, a Democrat, whose law enforcement experience is limited to his four arrests. Frazier's last bid for political office was in 2004, when he unsuccessfully ran for a county commission seat.

Unofficial results show Frazier garnered 22,146 votes on Tuesday.

Write-in candidate Marc Reusch is the former owner of a Brooksville bike shop and received 334 write-in votes, unofficial results show.

Also Tuesday, Hernando County voters appeared to have chosen Sandy Hawkins over Denise Lyn for a judge's seat in the Fifth Judicial Circuit's Group 3.

This was the second judgeship bid for Hawkins, 53, an assistant state attorney for 11 years in Marion County. She emphasized her grit and determination during the campaign, along with her experience as a prosecutor.

Unofficial results show Hawkins earned 61 percent of the vote in Hernando County.

Lyn, 41, tried a different tact by showcasing her experience as a civil attorney and pointed to her position on the Florida Bar Board of Governors as evidence of her solid ethics.

Sheriff's Race

Richard Nugent - 62,791 votes, 73 percent.

Luke Frazier - 22,146 votes, 26 percent.

Reusch - 334 votes, .39 percent.

Judge Race

Sandy Hawkins - 43,597 votes, 61 percent.

Denise Lyn - 26,750 votes, 39 percent.