Belk and Breeden face off in York County sheriff's runoff | News

ROCK HILL — Top candidates for York County sheriff each garnered more than 6,300 votes in the Republican primary.

Today, Michael Belk and Tony Breeden are calling on these and other voters to turn out in the June 25 runoff, with early voting at the York County Government Center in York beginning June 19.

York County has experienced a runoff in each of the last five election years, as well as a 2017 off-year special election for the U.S. House of Representatives that required a runoff. In many cases, depending on where the voter lived, they had multiple challenges during their second round of voting. This Tuesday, the Belk-Breeden race is the only one.

In his candidacy, Belk gained the support of two of his main opponents, Beth Tolson and Chris Blevins. The fifth candidate, Heath Clevenger, had not given his support by June 18.

“I have to instill the same confidence in these voters to come out and vote for me as they did in the primary for these candidates,” said Belk, deputy chief of the Rock Hill Police Department. “It is also essential that my supporters maintain the same energy they had on June 11.”

Belk received the most votes in the primary, with Breeden trailing him by 180 votes. A former Marine, Breeden joined the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office after his military service, then joined the Rock Hill police in 1995. He retired in 2022 with the rank of lieutenant.

“I've met so many patriots who love their country and want the sheriff's office to continue to be a great place,” Breeden said. “They want someone at the top of the sheriff's office who will fight for victims. They want someone who will make sure deputies enforce the law and hold them accountable.”