CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — With the arrest and now suspension of Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels, what happens to any votes cast for him during the primary?
University of North Florida political science Associate Professor Mike Binder says those votes will not be thrown out.
"He is legally on the ballot and any votes cast for him will count as such," he explained to First Coast News.
There is no Democratic candidate for Clay County Sheriff, so Binder says whoever wins the Republican primary on Tuesday has a strong chance of beating a write-in candidate in November.
If Daniels wins, Binder says Gov. Ron DeSantis could get involved again.
"The ball would be back in Gov. DeSantis' court," he says. "Would he resuspend the sheriff or would he let him take office? Or, this is certainly an opportunity. The sheriff has the opportunity to challenge his suspension which would essentially result in a hearing in the state Senate."
It's a race that will be watched closely as Clay County voters decide who they want to lead their county.