Steve Mueller accepts a congratulatory call after the final results were announced Tuesday. THE TOTALS

Rick Burgess: 3,842 Steve Mueller: 4,190

A second-place finish in the June 8 primary election turned into a firstplace finish for Steve Mueller during Tuesday’s runoff for the Republican nomination for Cherokee County sheriff.

With no Democratic candidates in the race, and barring a successful write-in candidate come November, the former post commander from the South Carolina Highway Patrol will become Cherokee County’s next sheriff.

Mueller, who resigned from the Highway Patrol to seek the sheriff’s office post, thanked God, his family and supporters, and all Cherokee County residents who went to the polls Tuesday.

“We’re very excited,” he said. “We’re getting ready to start a new chapter.”

According to unofficial election night returns, Mueller beat Rick Burgess for the nomination 4,190 to 3,842.

Overall, unofficial returns showed Mueller took 52.17 percent of the vote, compared to 47.83 percent for Burgess.

Voter turnout for the runoff was lower than the June 8 primary, but only slightly. There were 8,078 ballots cast for the two Republican candidates, representing a turnout of 27.77 percent of registered voters.

During the June 8 primary, turnout came in at 33.47 percent.

Mueller led from the start as results trickled in Tuesday night, though the race remained close with only 348 votes separating the two men at the finish.

“We were concerned (going in) but we very clearly heard from the people of Cherokee County over the past two weeks that they had embraced our campaign and platform,” Mueller said.

Still, he conceded, “We sweated it out until the final box came in.”

Asked about the turnaround in the campaign, which reversed the finish from the June 8 primary, Mueller said, “We worked 18 hours a day to reach as many people in Cherokee County as possible to get our message out.”

An official count of the results will be held Thursday.

This was the second time Burgess, a former captain in the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, has finished second. He narrowly lost to Sheriff Bill Blanton, who decided not to seek re-election this year, during the 2006 election. Blanton has served as sheriff for the past 20 years.

“We’re glad it’s over,” Burgess said. “This has been one of the toughest times of my life. (But) we’re going to be alright.”

Burgess took a leave of absence from his current job as an investigator for the 7th Circuit Solicitor’s Office to seek the sheriff’s office post. He plans to go back to the Solicitor’s Office and “pick up where I left off.”

Though unsuccessful, Burgess said, “We feel good about it. We ran a good clean race.”

Asked whether he would ever consider running for office again, Burgess said, “I’d have to think long and hard about it. As long as Steve Mueller does what he says he’s going to do, I’m going to support him 100 percent.”

Mueller said he looks forward to working with Burgess in the future.

“He’s a great guy,” Mueller said.

Five veteran law enforcement officers were seeking the Republican nomination and Burgess was the top vote-getter during the June 8 primary.

During the campaign, Mueller laid out an extensive platform that included, in part, getting more deputies on the road, increasing services, being more open to the public, using new technologies and science to solve old crimes, tackling drugs and raising the proverbial bar.

Allaying fears about a change in management at the sheriff’s office, Mueller reiterated past statements that he has no plans to get rid of current personnel, saying jobs would be secure though job duties could change as he evaluates staff to make sure the right people are in the right positions.