Updated March 1 at 10:08 p.m.

Incumbent Gary Cutler has won the Republican nomination for Hays County sheriff with 8,437 votes, representing 62 percent of the total vote, and his challenger, Tommy Ratliff, received 5,172 total votes, representing 38 percent of the total. Thirty-nine of 49 precincts are reporting. Cutler said he was pleased with the results. He said he hopes to focus on what he sees as the two biggest issues facing law enforcement in Hays County: finding ways to keep residents and visitors in Hays County safe, and dealing with aging infrastructure such as the county jail and the emergency communications center. Cutler said the county was housing about 85 prisoners outside of Hays County the morning of March 1 due to overcrowding at the jail. “I see us moving forward on [a new jail and communications center],” Cutler said. “Those are the big issues I see in Hays County.” Cutler will face Democratic challenger Rodrigo Amaya in the November general election. Amaya ran unopposed in the primary election. All results are unofficial until canvassed.

Posted at 7:23 p.m. March 1

According to unofficial March 1 early voting results, incumbent Gary Cutler is leading the race for the Republican nomination for Hays County sheriff with 5,485 votes, representing 66.79 percent of the total votes, compared with challenger Tommy Ratliff’s 2,727 votes, which represents 33.21 percent. Cutler was first elected Hays County sheriff in 2010. He said he looks forward to serving another term in office and plans to focus on ensuring the county’s justice system is working efficiently. Ratliff said if he was elected he planned to focus on improving morale on the force. The winner of the primary will face off against Democratic challenger Rodrigo Amaya in the November general election. All results are unofficial until canvassed.