AURORA | A Democratic cop from the diminutive town of Mountain View has defeated Republican incumbent Dave Walcher and will become the next sheriff of Arapahoe County, marking another seismic upset amid numerous Democratic triumphs this Election Day.
Democrat Tyler Brown controlled about 50 percent of the vote as of about 1 a.m. on Nov. 7, placing him about five percentage points ahead of Walcher, according to election results reported by the Arapahoe County Clerk and Recorder’s office. The remaining five percent of votes went to Libertarian Eric Mulder.
About 213,000 votes were cast in the sheriff’s race as of Wednesday morning, and about 224,000 ballots were filled out throughout the county, according to the county clerk. There are about 423,000 registered voters in Arapahoe County, pinning the estimated voter turnout rate in the county at about 53 percent.
Brown started his policing career as a patrolman in Northglenn before working in the armed officer division of Aurora Public Schools. He’s been an officer with the Mountain View Police Department since 2015. Located just northwest of Denver, Mountain View spans about 12 square city blocks and boasts a population of about 520 people, according to recent census data.
Brown unsuccessfully ran against Walcher for the same seat in 2014.
During his campaign, Brown painted himself as a political outsider, and a “fresh face” in law enforcement.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office presides over a staff of more than 700 people and a jurisdiction that comprises nearly 900-square miles.
Reached by phone on election night, Brown said he was excited to begin his new role.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Arapahoe County and the great men and women who work at the sheriff’s office,” he said.
Walcher was appointed to the sheriff’s post by the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners in February 2014, and then formally elected later that year. A former FBI agent, Walcher spent the bulk of his law enforcement career — more than 20 years — with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
Walcher out-fundraised both of his opponents by a ratio of about 11 to 1.
Brown said he was planning on speaking with Walcher tomorrow. He added he has plans to work with the incumbent sheriff on a transition plan in the coming weeks.
“I think Dave has put some great things in place in the sheriff’s office, and I hope he and I can work together for a smooth transition,” he said.
The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s patrols nearly 200,000 people across the metro area, including large chunks of unincorporated Arapahoe County that abut Aurora. The office provides full-time patrol services to Centennial, Bennett, Deer Trail and Foxfield, according to the sheriff’s 2017 report. The office is also charged with booking, detaining and managing people at a 1,458-bed jail, which holds about 1,000 inmates on any given day. There are about 17,000 bookings into the jail each year, with the average stay clocking in at 22 days, according to the annual report.
At an election night viewing party held by the state Republican Party, local Republican leaders lamented Walcher’s loss.
“We have a great sheriff in Sheriff Walcher,” said Aurora City Councilwoman Francoise Bergan. “He’s very qualified … and that (race) to me was probably one of the biggest shockers.”
Rich Sakol, chairman of the Arapahoe County Republicans, also spoke to Walcher’s qualifications.
“If you look at the qualifications of Dave Walcher, he’s the most qualified sheriff probably in the state of Colorado,” Sakol said. “Anyone who spent anytime looking at his qualifications vs. his opponent would have voted for Dave Walcher. And people didn’t.
“Colorado’s a swing state, and today it swung against us.”
Walcher did not immediately respond to a request for comment.