RAVENNA, Ohio — Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, who came under fire weeks ago for his controversial comments about Kamala Harris supporters, has won reelection to his position.
The Republican Zuchowski prevailed by less than two percentage points against Democrat Jon Barber, who himself had four decades of experience as a law enforcement officer. It was a much closer race than Zuchowski's initial victory in 2020, but still more than enough to give him a second term in office.
"For those who supported me... THANK YOU!!" Zuchowski wrote on Facebook following his triumph. He then used a crude meme to send a message to his "haters."
Zuchowski caused a stir back in September with a social media post calling for Portage County residents to "write down all the addresses of the people" displaying yard signs for Harris, the Democratic nominee for president. He also referred to the sitting vice president as a "Flip - Flopping, Laughing Hyena" and discussed illegal immigration, referring to what he described as "Illegal human 'Locust.'"
Zuchowski's comments drew backlash from both sides of the aisle, with Portage County Democratic Party Chair Denise Smith saying he "crossed the line in the sand" and Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calling the remarks "very unfortunate." The Portage County Board of Elections voted to remove the sheriff's office from its early voting security plans, and the U.S. Department of Justice later sent in election monitors due to concerns of "intimidation."
Zuchowski eventually deleted the post in question, and in a separate post declared he had "sworn to protect ALL citizens of my County," regardless of political preference. However, he still took aim at Democrats in the area.
"If the citizens of Portage County want to elect an individual who has supported open borders (which I've personally visited Twice!) and neglected to enforce the laws of our Country...then that is their prerogative," he wrote.
Zuchowski became Portage County's first Republican sheriff in more than a decade when he defeated Democratic challenger Greg Johnson by 12 points in 2020. On Tuesday, the county voted in favor of former Republican President Donald Trump by a 57%-41% margin, Trump's third consecutive victory in a county that had voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election from 1992-2012.
