Democrat Lupe Valdez, 57, is the first woman elected sheriff in the county. Valdez, a 28-year federal agent who worked on fraud, organized crime and drug cases, said her election proved Dallas County is an international county welcoming people of all backgrounds.
"Look at this room," she said at a victory rally. "All ethnic groups, all walks of life, rich or poor, gay or straight, whatever, we are an international town and this is what I bring to this.
With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Valdez had 51 percent of the vote against Republican Danny Chandler, a 29-year sheriff's department veteran who ousted embattled incumbent Jim Bowles in the GOP primary.
"Dallas County can now say that a Hispanic woman that was a migrant worker can now be the highest law enforcement officer in the county," she said.
In his campaign, Chandler, 53, frequently attacked his former boss, who served 21 years as sheriff, for business dealings that resulted in a grand jury investigation and an indictment that was eventually thrown out.
But Valdez told voters they would be better served by electing a sheriff with no connections to the previous administration.
The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, an organization that supports political candidates who are gay, endorsed Valdez. Chandler criticized the endorsement, saying it would be inappropriate for a sheriff to advocate the fund's platforms on gay and lesbian political issues.
"It just simply is not relevant," Valdez told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram last week. "Desperate people do desperate things, and I think they're reaching."