Incumbent Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, a Democrat, wins recount election

The Democratic Pima County Sheriff has narrowly won his re-election bid, according to recount results released on Friday morning.

The results were presented Friday morning in Pima County Superior Court and Judge Kyle Bryson officially declared Chris Nanos the winner.

Nanos won by just 481 votes over his Republican opponent Heather Lappin where she’s worked for 19 years.

It’s a margin of four fewer votes than the initial results showed.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead and work alongside the dedicated members of our department. Together, we are committed to enhancing the safety and well-being of our community,” Nanos said in a statement. “In the coming months, we will focus on implementing new ideas and improvements to make our department even more effective and responsive to the needs of our citizens.”

The race is one of a handful with margins so narrow they went to an automatic recount, as required by Arizona law.

“It is not uncommon to see changes in adjudicated ballots during a recount,” Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove said in a statement. “The bipartisan boards adjudicating the ballots during a recount may not be the same boards who originally made the determination. The adjudication boards' determinations are independent and final as intended by the statute.”

Nanos was the center of controversy when he put Lappin on administrative leave from her job at the Sheriff’s department in the last weeks before the election.

County supervisors requested an investigation into whether Nanos’ actions were illegal and motivated by political gain.

Attorney General Kris Mayes’ spokesperson Richie Taylor declined to say whether their office is investigating Nanos.

“We are reviewing their [the board’s] request for an investigation but beyond that I can’t comment,” Taylor said in a text.