Interim Sheriff Ty Rupert jumped out to a wide lead Tuesday night in the race for Deschutes County Sheriff, ahead of Lt. James “Mac” McLaughlin, initial election results show.
Results shortly after 10 p.m. showed Rupert has garnered roughly 69%, with 54,726 votes. McLaughlin, meanwhile, notched about 29%, with 23,490 tallies.
Rupert, a 20-year veteran of the agency, was appointed sheriff by the county’s board of commissioners in August 2025 after the former sheriff resigned amid controversy.
Rupert told OPB on Tuesday night he felt both confident and humbled by the initial results.
“We have amazing citizens here and almost 48,000 of them said ‘Hey, we believe in you,’” Rupert said.
Before joining the sheriff’s office, Rupert worked for a company in Redmond that designs fuel systems for vehicles and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. While campaigning, Rupert said he would restore trust in the agency by being more available to the public through town halls and regular open meetings.
He has said a main focus will be on hiring more deputies for patrol and corrections while maintaining a balanced budget. The department has the largest budget in the county; this fiscal year it tops $70 million, according to the sheriff’s office.
If Rupert’s lead holds, he has a major undertaking ahead to improve the public’s faith in an office beleaguered by years of ethical inquiries into its top brass.
A potential win for Rupert may also spell bad news for his opponent. McLaughlin could face termination under the sheriff-elect’s watch.
In June, Rupert put McLaughlin on leave aftera citizen complaint accompanied by security camera footage showed McLaughlin laughing and encouraging a deputy who was talking about how to trump up false charges against a property owner during a February SWAT team arrest.
McLaughlin has denied any wrongdoing. His lawyer told OPB that he believes the investigation is politically motivated under Rupert’s leadership.
An independent investigator hired to look into the matter found that McLaughlin tried to bury the footage and cover up his misconduct. The investigator sustained multiple allegations against McLaughlin, including misconduct, insubordination and dishonesty, according to public records.
If elected, Rupert would be sworn in Jan. 4 and will contend with ongoing public criticism of his agency’s leadership.
In September, Redmond City Councilor Clifford Evelyn filed a wide-ranging complaint with state watchdogs asking them to look into the department and what he described as a “systemic culture of corruption.”
The previous elected sheriff, Kent van der Kamp, had his badge permanently revoked by the state after less than a year in office when state and local investigations uncovered decades of dishonesty about his background and education. Van der Kamp resigned seven months into his term.
The sheriff before him, Shane Nelson, weathered years of accusations of discrimination and retaliation by staff. Lawsuits against his administration cost the county millions in settlement payments and legal fees.
Rupert acknowledged on Tuesday night that his office is still working to regain public trust. He said he’s been working on it since his appointment more than a year ago.
“If I look at our office today compared to where it was 14 months ago, it’s completely different,” Rupert said. “We have a lot of work to continue, but it’s going to take at least the next four years.”
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
