The race for Onondaga County’s next sheriff hasn’t ended yet. Republican candidate Esteban Gonzalez said Tuesday night he would wait until every vote is counted before conceding, citing the close margin. Gonzalez hopes that the uncounted votes will tip the race in his favor.
“We’re hoping that it actually flips our way because it is remarkably too close to call right now and our hope is that we get more than the 66% of the remaining 6,100 votes that are out there,” Gonzalez said.
There are absentee ballots in Onondaga County that have not yet been counted or processed. Late Tuesday night, Democratic candidate Toby Shelley declared victory at his own separate party but was not available for interviews. Gonzalez says the stakes of this race are too high to concede just yet.
“We’re patient. We worked hard. We owe too much to too many people to call it, and we’re not going to call it. We’re excited about the possibilities that are still out there, and we’re going to wait until this process is finished,” Gonzalez said.
The approximately 6,000 uncounted votes include absentee and affidavit ballots. Gonzalez and Shelley are seeking the sheriff’s seat upon the retirement of Gene Conway at the end of his term.
